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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-07-07 Daily Xml
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Hydrogen Power Plant

Mr HUGHES (Giles) (15:20): I rise today to speak yet again about hydrogen, given its importance to my community. As a bit of a drop-off point, I want to return to estimates, given I did not get an opportunity to make some speeches about estimates. I want to commend all the people involved in committee B: the ministers, the shadow ministers and the other members and the way that was conducted. I hope it was useful to all concerned.

Time and time again, people raise the issue about the need to reform estimates and make it, if you like, a more efficient process. It is done in different ways in different states and at a federal level and I would add my voice to say that we do need to have a look at it to see if we can do it better. I will say that having estimates, having a parliamentary process, having an open and democratic society in this day and age, given the growing threats around the world, is something that we all, across the chamber, need to spruik and need to defend.

In Estimates Committee A, a subject dear to my heart came up. The member for Morphett was asking a range of questions about the hydrogen plant. I accept his words that he does not want it to fail. I think it is entirely reasonable that major projects like that undergo scrutiny. I would just voice a note of caution, and that is that we do not get into the position that happened when the Weatherill government announced the big battery and when Musk and others came onto the scene and the disparaging comments in relation to the big battery, something that has exceeded expectations and is now becoming commonplace around the world. At the time, it was the world's largest utility-scale battery.

Just as that was an example of innovation, the commitment to building a hydrogen plant just outside Whyalla is also a real positive. I think it is important that we are willing to try to capture first-mover advantage. For my community, there are a range of benefits. It is a community that has called out for economic diversification for many years. Economic diversification is just one element; obviously there are jobs, it is good for the environment and it will form part of a bigger jigsaw because it will give the impetus to other developments.

One of the exciting things about the power plant is the 250-megawatts worth of electrolysers. I am hoping that it will be built to the north of the steelworks with the potential, at least in a small way initially, to complement the steelworks in Whyalla. Of course, hydrogen replaces coking coal as a reductant in the iron-making process. I know what it will replace.

When you look at coking coal and coke ovens, they are probably one of the dirtiest and dangerous parts of the steelmaking enterprise. My mum used to be a cleaner at the coke ovens in Whyalla. She would often come home black, but she worked around the periphery of the coke ovens. With respect to the people who worked at the actual coke ovens, from an occupational health and safety perspective it was probably one of the most risky places to work in the steelworks given the production of benzene and other carcinogens.

If we can move to hydrogen in Whyalla in the steel industry, it will be a real plus. It is the sort of thing that will enable us to produce steel for generations to come. In a way, the hydrogen power plant that we are committing to, the publicly owned hydrogen power plant, will put downward pressure on prices and will give us a greater degree of energy security, which is a real plus and it is a real plus in many, many ways.

Time expired.

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