Optimism on green future as decarbonisation takes centre stage at Mid West Economic Summit

A two-day summit has seen Mid West businesses and government put out an optimistic message on the region’s future as a green energy producer. The Mid West Economic Summit, held on May 30-31, came after months of announcements on green hydrogen ambitions at Oakajee and Arrowsmith, and $2 billion announced for the sector by the Federal Government in the recent Budget, and hydrogen was a key focus of the event. Presentations from big players in the region’s renewables sectors, including BP, Fortescue, Iluka Resources and Strike Energy featured, and largely emphasised the Mid West’s advantageous position as a hotspot for wind and solar energy. “It was great to see the Australian Government send a signal with its Hydrogen Headstart funding program in the budget, which helps keep Australia on the global hydrogen radar as we come to grips with the challenges of production and transport,” BP business developer James Foley said. The summit also focused on how local government and small business can manage the transition to net-zero. City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn outlined the City’s plans to become more sustainable, but also the risk Geraldton faces from climate change because of coastal erosion. Mr Van Styn said the coming together of government and many businessess large and small gave him hope for the Mid West’s green future and the development of the renewable industry. “What we’re seeing here today is a range of large corporations and a large range of interested parties that will come together to develop Oakajee Strategic Industrial Area, and that gives us better hope that Oakajee could eventually come in the future,” he said. Amid busy times in Perth, politicians including Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis and Parliamentary Secretary for the Deputy Premier and Minister for Hydrogen Industry Jessica Shaw found time to attend. The issues facing the Mid West were also acknowledged, with human capital shortages and electricity reliability common themes in several talks. With the consensus appearing to clearly back green hydrogen and renewable energy in the region, Mid West Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the next step was to see more concrete plans for the future from government. “The conversation and the time for those is over, we now need a really good roadmap from governments, all levels of governments, and more engagement from our Federal Government,” chamber CEO Joanne Fabling said. “They’re doing a really great job so far, and it’s a lot to manage but we really need to see a good pathway, so that our businesses can clearly understand what their roles and responsibilities are going to be.”