Port of Newcastle is a couple-of-hundred years old start up, Professor Roy Green told guests at the Shipping Australia NSW Winter 2022 Parliamentary Luncheon yesterday (Thursday 27 May 2022).
While it is well-known that Newcastle is primarily a coal-port, the Professor noted that the port has a variety of other businesses other than coal. It is currently handling around three million tonnes of grain, it handles about 80% of wind turbines, and “fun fact” one-in-five glasses of all orange juice consumed in Australia made its way across the wharves at Newcastle.
In a world that is transitioning to alternative energy sources, he rhetorically queried how long coal can continue. It is important to note, he indicated, that while the port handles about 160 million tonnes of coal each year, it does not invest in coal.
Coal has been central to Newcastle for a long time. There was formerly a large steel works – one of the largest in the British Empire – at Newcastle. When it closed it was a “truly traumatic experience,” the Professor noted. One-in-five locals lost their jobs. But, what saved the city, was coal.
However, he noted, “we are now reaching another turning point. And we cannot wait for the decline of coal.”
Looking forward, he noted that the Port intends to be ready for hydrogen and that he sees a huge role for manufacturing supported by low-cost energy. “We want to be the largest exporter of hydrogen,” he told guests. Newcastle is suitable for hydrogen, he added, owing to its industrial history, the presence of pipelines and other infrastructure, the presence of vacant land at the port and the local manufacturing base.
He also stated that the Port of Newcastle is looking forward to spending its own money on a “large scale automated container port”. He added that Newcastle would then be the only port that could accommodate 1.6km-long trains, possibly double-stacked, and that would also be able to handle ultra-large container ships.
The Port of Newcastle will be able to contribute $2.5bn to the state economy he said, adding that it can lead regional diversification.
Professor Green indicated that government support would be helpful if it took the form of approvals and the removal of restrictions.
