Firing up fresh workforce, infrastructure key to Gladstone energy futures
An innovative initiative to boost Gladstone’s transition to renewable energy has heard people, collaboration and accessible participation are the keys to unlocking green growth.
The Regional Enablers Program: Enhancing renewable innovation in Central Queensland has held its first event for 2026, at CQUniversity Gladstone Marina.
CQU Associate Professor Linda Pfeiffer leads the three-year initiative.
Energy Futures: From Challenge to Innovation on Tuesday 10 March saw industry knowledge combine with community ideas and priorities, to inform next steps for designing solutions.
Led by CQU’s Social Impact Lab, the networking event attracted industry leaders, community members and academics, and highlighted a range of challenges to growing green energy uptake.
These included:
- Community understanding and education
- Electrical infrastructure
- Energy costs
- Youth attraction, retention, and upskilling.
The event also welcomed the expertise of Peter Ware, chief operating officer of Alpha HPA, an innovative company leading high-purity aluminium extraction in Gladstone for use in high technology like lithium-ion batteries.
Mr Ware said construction and commissioning of the Stage Two HPA First Project, the world’s largest high-purity aluminium materials facility, relied on the strength of Gladstone’s industrial workforce.
“New industries need skilled people. If we want to remain a leading industrial region, we must invest in young people and give them clear pathways into engineering, operations, technology and advanced manufacturing,” he said.
The next step for the Regional Enablers Program will be inviting more than 100 local high school students, from years 9 to 11, to design practical solutions for the challenges.
Across 19-20 May, the students will work with facilitators BOP Industries, for the Future Creators Challenge to design solutions, before returning in September to pitch their ideas to community and industry.
With a mission to inspire the next generation of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) innovators, BOP Industries has worked with 120,000 Queensland students over the past eight years, connecting them with science leaders and STEM careers.
“Programs like Energy Futures help students see those opportunities early and understand the skills they need to step into them,” Mr Ware said.
“The future of this region depends on building capability here at home.”
Following 2025 events, 67 per cent of Gladstone Regional Enablers Program participants reported their renewable energy knowledge grew a lot or a great deal, and 60 per cent reported their connection to innovation and entrepreneurship grew a lot or a great deal.
This program will be partnering with Impact 10x for a 3-day innovative program culminating in another networking and pitch event on Thursday 3rd September.
This initiative is supported by the Queensland Government, as part of the statewide Regional Enablers Program, boosting local opportunities for innovation driven enterprises to grow across Queensland's diverse regions.
CQUniversity was one of 15 regional innovation organisations successful in Round 1 of the program.
