Fortescue is taking an industry-leading position on reducing emissions by working to decarbonise our Australian iron ore operations and deliver green energy and products to the world.

Australia’s first fully automated electrolyser manufacturing facility is located in Gladstone, Central Queensland. The Gladstone Green Energy Manufacturing (Gladstone GEM) Centre, which includes the Gladstone Electrolyser Facility (GEF), is located within the Gladstone State development Area (SDA), one of 12 areas across the State planned and managed by the Coordinator-General which includes land owned by Economic Development Queensland.

Stage one development of the GEM Centre includes the GEF which provides an initial capacity of over two gigawatts (GW) of electrolysers per annum, significantly increasing current global production.

Stage two will see development of a 50MW hydrogen production facility, known as the Gladstone Proton Exchange Membrane 50MW (PEM50) Project. PEM50 will be a commercial scale green hydrogen facility, with the potential to produce up to 8,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per annum from 2025.  PEM50 will deploy the electrolysers manufactured by the GEF, as well as utilising renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar and water to generate green hydrogen through electrolysis.

Construction of the PEM50 Project commenced in 2024, with a total production capacity of 50MW across two stages. The first production of green hydrogen is expected in 2025, with the second stage scheduled for commissioning in 2028.

The GEF and PEM50 Projects exhibit Fortescue’s commitment to developing its hydrogen production systems’ technical capabilities and showcases the commercial viability for competitively producing green hydrogen in Australia for both domestic and export use.

Securing Renewable Power and Water Sources

The Gladstone PEM50 Project will utilise renewable energy supplied from Australia’s National Energy Market. Power will be supplied to the Project via a 275kV transmission line, newly installed by Powerlink Queensland.

Water supply infrastructure has been provided by the Gladstone Area Water Board (GAWB) and Economic Development Queensland (EDQ) and the expansion to 50MW capacity will be enabled once the system reliability afforded by the Fitzroy Gladstone Pipeline (FGP) currently under construction by the Queensland Government is connected to the Aldoga Industrial precinct.

Future GEM Project Developments

Subsequent project development stages of the GEM facility are planned to be delivered as specialist production lines according to the requirements of Fortescue and its customers, and could include additional electrolyser technology production lines, industrial scale testing, hydrogen refuelling and liquefaction stations, and associated renewable energy infrastructure.

Leading Queensland’s Development of Manufacturing Hydrogen Skills

Fortescue’s GEM operations strongly contribute to Queensland’s ambition to be at the forefront of Australia’s successful transition to renewable energy. The local skills, capabilities, and relationships that our team has developed locally in Gladstone, as well as with the Queensland Government and associated educational and supply chain service providers over the past three years sends a clear signal to the off take market that commercial scale production in Australia is possible, and that Queensland has a serious role to play as a green hydrogen producer.

Fortescue will continue to work with key stakeholders such as Central Queensland University, Queensland TAFE, Queensland Department of Education and others to ensure skills development and training remains relevant and continues to leverage positive economic development of the hydrogen industry in a sustainable and enduring manner.

To find out more about how you can be involved in Fortescue’s future GEM operations contact us at communitiesapac@fortescue.com.

Investing in Australia’s Hydrogen Manufacturing Future

Fortescue has secured grants from both the State and Federal Governments to support capital expenditure for stage one (GEF) and stage two (PEM50) project developments.

This financial commitment has contributed to the supply of equipment and the construction and installation of specialised electrolyser equipment, balance of system, balance of plant and associated infrastructure.