Hydrogen

Australian green hydrogen proponent Fortescue Future Industries and French renewables major Total Eren are among five project developers provided with exclusivity over land in the Northern Territory government’s Middle Arm Sustainable Development Precinct on Darwin Harbour.

China’s deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission is reported to have recently met with Andrew Forrest, founder and executive chairman of Fortescue.

With less than 60 days remaining until the next raft of clean energy incentives outlined in the United States’ Inflation Reduction Act take effect, former Reserve Bank of Australia deputy governor Guy Debelle has warned the legislation poses a “material threat” to Australia’s push to become a green hydrogen superpower.

Japanese oil and gas giant Inpex has been jointly awarded a $1 million (USD 670,000) grant by the Australian government to conduct a feasibility study into the growth potential of a ‘clean’ hydrogen market in the Northern Territory.

Queensland hydrogen battery startup Endua has installed its first 100kW standalone hydrogen power bank in south Brisbane. The news come weeks after the company raised $11.8 million (USD 7.81 million) to scale the technology.

Australian hydrogen developer Abel Energy and Spanish energy group Iberdrola are pushing ahead with plans to deliver a 240 MW green hydrogen and green methanol production facility in Tasmania, inking a deal to secure a site for the $1.2 billion (USD 79 million) project.

Australia’s national science agency will seek to the address some of the challenges associated with storing and transporting hydrogen by developing an off-grid, portable hydrogen generator designed to recover the zero-emissions fuel from a liquid carrier at the point of consumption.

Australia’s push to become a green hydrogen superpower has gained new momentum with the federal and Queensland governments teaming with consortium partners to deliver $117 million (USD 76 million) to progress a 3 GW renewable hydrogen project being developed near Gladstone on the central Queensland coast.

To reach net zero by 2050, Australia will need 300 GW of wind and solar, and $413 billion (USD 2.72 billion) of investment, according to BloombergNEF. To reach hydrogen superpower status, that figure balloons to 812 GW of renewables and $739 billion of investment.

Australia and India will establish a Green Hydrogen Taskforce, with prime ministers today agreeing to the Taskforce’s terms of reference. The meeting strengthens ties between India and Australia in relation to renewable energy ambitions and manufacturing, with plans extending to critical mineral and solar manufacturing.