The Queensland government has taken a step closer to establishing a hydrogen export hub in the state’s north with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Port of Townsville and Origin Australia. The deal, signed on April 14,  promises the development of a hydrogen liquefaction facility and the expansion of the port to facilitate the export of hydrogen using specially designed liquid hydrogen carriers. Origin Energy stated in a media release that, once developed, an estimated 36,500 tonnes of hydrogen every year will be shipped in a joint export project between Origin and Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Origin’s Future Fuels General Manager, Felicity Underhill, said that the Port of Townsville was well suited for the development and the export of the resource. The project, she noted, would also help support local jobs. “Townsville is ideally placed to develop a liquid hydrogen facility due to its deep-water port, industrial-zoned …