As the Project Manager of the Future Energy Innovation and Training Hub, Rockhampton local Brenton Jensen is helping to lead Stanwell – and Queensland – towards a bright future.

The Future Energy Innovation and Training Hub (FEITH), to be built at the Stanwell Power Station (SPS) near Rockhampton, will serve as a training, research and development centre for the emerging energy technologies that will aid in our renewable transformation.

Technologies such as renewable hydrogen and new forms of energy storage will be tested and validated to commercial scale at the facility, which will be delivered in stages.

Ensuring that development stays on schedule is the task of Project Manager Brenton Jensen.

Back to the future

Born and raised in Rockhampton, Brenton began his career with an electrical instrumentation apprenticeship at SPS back in 2004, and remained at the power station for 10 years, before taking on a series of fly-in, fly-out roles with Santos. He most recently served as a Development Execution Team Leader, delivering projects in South Australia’s Cooper Basin region.

“FIFO worked for me for a certain period of time, but things change when you have a family and young children,” he says. “I always knew FIFO wasn’t something I was going to do forever. And in the back of my mind, I hoped I’d find my way back to Stanwell when the time came, because I already knew it was a great place to work.

“It’s funny. When I was doing FIFO work, I’d meet people from all around Australia, and some of them would say, ‘What are you doing in Rocky?’ And I’d always tell them to get themselves up here and have a look around, because it’s a pretty special place.

“It’s a great place for a family to live, because there’s always something to do here. We’ve got two young kids, a five-year-old and a two-year-old, and we love going camping and fishing and crabbing. You’ve got national parks close by; you’ve got the beaches at Yeppoon; and we love getting over to Great Keppel Island whenever we can. So even when I was working interstate, there was never any question of leaving Rocky.

“When this opportunity came up – an opportunity to be back home full-time with my family, working on a unique project with a company I already knew well – I just had to go for it.”

In retrospect, Brenton believes the totality of his experiences so far led him to this role.

“My previous experience with Stanwell gave me a good insight into how things are done here – especially with regards to the high level of quality that Stanwell expects from its operations. SPS is known around the world for its reliability, so I knew FEITH would have to live up to that standard.

“At the same time, my work with Santos gave me an opportunity to be heavily involved in project execution. That helped me develop the skills that I’ll need to deliver a project like this.

“And I’ve always been interested in renewable energy, and where it will go. I’ve always known that my career in energy would last longer than coal-fired power stations would; that I’d still be working after they’re decommissioned or repurposed. So I’ve obviously thought about what would be around the corner for myself, and what would be around the corner for my children.

“What sort of industry are they going to be getting into, when it’s time for them to enter the workforce?”

The Future Energy Innovation and Training Hub (FEITH), to be built at the Stanwell Power Station (SPS) near Rockhampton, will serve as a training, research and development centre for the emerging energy technologies that will aid in our renewable transformation.

Technologies such as renewable hydrogen and new forms of energy storage will be tested and validated to commercial scale at the facility, which will be delivered in stages.

Ensuring that development stays on schedule is the task of Project Manager Brenton Jensen.

Bright and early

By 2035, when renewable generation and storage has progressed to the point that Queensland is no longer reliant on coal, the state’s publicly owned coal-fired power stations are expected to be converted into clean energy hubs.

The establishment of FEITH, a $110 million project that’s expected to be the size of a shopping centre, will begin the gradual transformation of SPS into such a hub. As well as providing opportunities to pilot innovative new energy technologies – including advancements in wind, solar, hydrogen and battery storage – it’ll provide a real-life, hands-on training environment for Queensland energy employees to develop the skills needed to work on these technologies.

The first stage of the project will see the delivery of foundation technology pilot projects, including an iron flow battery developed by Energy Storage Industries – Asia Pacific (ESI); an electrolyser (used to produce renewable hydrogen) developed by Hysata; and a solar farm.

“The majority of my day is spent in meetings at the moment, liaising with internal stakeholders, technology partners and construction companies to ensure that everything’s on track and we can meet the schedule that’s been set out for this project,” Brenton says.

Later stages of the project will include the addition of electrolyser testbeds and hydrogen storage, as well as the delivery of teaching, training and workshop facilities, and an interpretative centre that will be open to the community.

“When I’ve talked to people around town about this, everyone’s very keen to learn about the new technologies as they’re deployed, and the interpretative centre will be a great way for everyone to do that,” Brenton says.

“It’ll use the latest technology to give visitors a true interactive experience, so they can get a good, detailed look at how the new technologies that are being piloted at the Hub will work. So that’ll be great for the community, especially for school groups and for anyone else who’s interested in learning about these technologies that are going to be so important, not just for the future of this region, but for the world at large.

“And for energy workers, this is a unique opportunity to get in on the ground floor of these new technologies. We could be the first people operating them, working right alongside the manufacturer to take them from pilot projects to commercial viability, and getting that invaluable hands-on experience before anyone else.

“It’s about being there for the start of something new, and going on that journey from the beginning. That’s what I’m excited about – not just for myself, but for my kids and for the Rockhampton region.”

By 2035, when renewable generation and storage has progressed to the point that Queensland is no longer reliant on coal, the state’s publicly owned coal-fired power stations are expected to be converted into clean energy hubs.

The establishment of FEITH, a $110 million project that’s expected to be the size of a shopping centre, will begin the gradual transformation of SPS into such a hub. As well as providing opportunities to pilot innovative new energy technologies – including advancements in wind, solar, hydrogen and battery storage – it’ll provide a real-life, hands-on training environment for Queensland energy employees to develop the skills needed to work on these technologies.

The first stage of the project will see the delivery of foundation technology pilot projects, including an iron flow battery developed by Energy Storage Industries – Asia Pacific (ESI); an electrolyser (used to produce renewable hydrogen) developed by Hysata; and a solar farm.

“The majority of my day is spent in meetings at the moment, liaising with internal stakeholders, technology partners and construction companies to ensure that everything’s on track and we can meet the schedule that’s been set out for this project,” Brenton says.

Later stages of the project will include the addition of electrolyser testbeds and hydrogen storage, as well as the delivery of teaching, training and workshop facilities, and an interpretative centre that will be open to the community.

“When I’ve talked to people around town about this, everyone’s very keen to learn about the new technologies as they’re deployed, and the interpretative centre will be a great way for everyone to do that,” Brenton says.

“It’ll use the latest technology to give visitors a true interactive experience, so they can get a good, detailed look at how the new technologies that are being piloted at the Hub will work. So that’ll be great for the community, especially for school groups and for anyone else who’s interested in learning about these technologies that are going to be so important, not just for the future of this region, but for the world at large.

“And for energy workers, this is a unique opportunity to get in on the ground floor of these new technologies. We could be the first people operating them, working right alongside the manufacturer to take them from pilot projects to commercial viability, and getting that invaluable hands-on experience before anyone else.

“It’s about being there for the start of something new, and going on that journey from the beginning. That’s what I’m excited about – not just for myself, but for my kids and for the Rockhampton region.”