Australia and Germany have formalised their hydrogen partnership, today opening a joint fund with $50 million from the Australian federal government through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and €50 million (AU$74 million) from Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
The German-Australian Hydrogen Innovation and Technology Incubator, known as HyGATE, formed last year with the partnership predicated on Australia becoming the base for green hydrogen production projects while Germany offers technological expertise and import guarantees.
The funding will go to projects which ARENA says must deliver on one or more of the below outcomes, including:
- Demonstrate highly innovative technology across the value chain of renewable hydrogen.
- Reduce the cost of hydrogen production, transport, storage and use, and support the commercial viability of renewable hydrogen.
- Develop an Australian–German supply chain for renewable hydrogen.
- Encourage cross-country collaboration and knowledge sharing between Australian and German organisations.
- Provide price discovery and transparency in relation to the current and projected economics for renewable hydrogen technologies.
📣🇦🇺🤝🇩🇪
The Australia-Germany #Hydrogen Accord is an enduring commitment to collaborate on building a global hydrogen industry.
✅ $5️⃣0️⃣ million 🇦🇺 contribution
✅ €5️⃣0️⃣ million 🇩🇪 contribution
✅ #HyGATE
✅ #H2Global
✅ #ClimateAction at #G7UK🎙👇https://t.co/fesN99AIw4 pic.twitter.com/bITvbsOl9r
— Dr Alan Finkel (@AusGov_OSALET) June 14, 2021
According to the German announcement, consortia with “at least two German and one Australian partner” will be able to submit real-world projects for pilot, trial and demonstration. The application will happen in two stages with projects to submit an initial brief proposal before May 3, before proceeding to a full proposal later in stage two.
Project activities are expected to occur primarily in Australia.
“With HyGATE, we want to create the basis for a long-term partnership for climate-neutral energy sources with Australia,” Germany’s federal research minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger said.
“The current situation clearly shows us that we must become independent of Russia as an energy supplier. With its great potential for renewable energy, Australia offers the best conditions for the production of green hydrogen.
“The German-Australian supply chain for green hydrogen is an important step towards climate neutrality and more independence. Furthermore, our relations are close and based on trust… We want to take this as an opportunity to further deepen our good relations,” she added.
For information on how to apply, visit ARENA’s HyGATE funding page.
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