Fortescue pulls plug on hydrogen projects amid policy backlash

Andrew Forrest, the Australian billionaire who built Fortescue on iron ore, has spent recent years evangelizing a green hydrogen future. But in a stark sign of the times, Forrest's company has axed two flagship hydrogen projects – one in Queensland, Australia and one in Arizona, USA – citing a "lack of certainty" in policy and economics.

"A shift in policy priorities away from green energy in the US had changed the situation for our $550 million Arizona plans," said Agustín Pichot, Fortescue's head of energy and growth[15]. The Trump administration's retreat from renewable support, he argued, made it hard for even previously feasible projects to proceed[18][15]. In other words, the rules of the game changed mid-play, and Fortescue decided to fold its hand – at least for now.

The scrapped projects were high-profile. In Arizona, Fortescue Future Industries (the green energy arm) had been exploring a 80 MW electrolyzer plant to produce green hydrogen for industrial use[15]. In Queensland, it had the "Gladstone PEM50" project, aiming to produce up to 8,000 tonnes of hydrogen annually and anchor a new industry hub[19].

Both are now off the table. Pichot pointed to U.S. policy backtracking – the new administration rolling back renewable incentives – as a fatal blow for the Arizona venture[20]. At the same time, he noted Fortescue's own strategic rethink: the company is "shifting away from electrolysers" to focus on other technologies for low-cost hydrogen in Australia[21]. In Gladstone, Fortescue had recently built a state-of-the-art electrolyser factory with government support; now its fate is uncertain, as the very project it was meant to supply has been canceled[22].

Fortescue's pullback comes amid a broader pattern of hydrogen investment jitters (a "run of canned hydrogen projects in Australia and elsewhere" as Reuters put it[20]). But it is especially striking given Forrest's outspoken commitment to green hydrogen.

Just a year earlier, he dramatically trimmed Fortescue's hydrogen production target, implicitly acknowledging that the initial goals were overly optimistic[13]. Still, the company insists it is not abandoning hydrogen altogether.

"Green energy and green hydrogen is key to our future," Pichot said, adding that costs will come down but "we must also be realistic and disciplined"[23]. That pragmatism reflects a hard truth: even deep-pocketed pioneers must answer to shareholders and economic reality.

Energy analysts argue that Fortescue's experience is a cautionary tale about hype outpacing reality. "There has clearly been way too much hype, and politicians and policies have been far too distracted by nonsensical uses of green hydrogen – like household heating… while electric vehicles are clearly winning the race in transport," observed Simon Nicholas of the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis[24][25].

In his view, subsidies need to be better targeted at the sensible uses for green hydrogen – such as decarbonizing fertilizer production or steelmaking – rather than trying to force hydrogen into every corner of the energy system. The Australian government, for its part, voiced disappointment at Gladstone's setback but reaffirmed that "Australia has one of the best hydrogen development opportunities in the world" and that green hydrogen remains "essential" for a net-zero future[26].

Fortescue is pressing on with other green initiatives – for example, a green iron pilot in Western Australia – but the message from its latest move is clear. Lofty hydrogen plans will not survive without robust policy support and a viable path to profitability.

Once hailed as a visionary, Forrest has now shown a pragmatic streak: pulling back rather than pouring more money into projects on shaky ground. It's a sign that the era of limitless green hydrogen optimism is giving way to a phase of hard-earned realism[15][21].