In December 2018, the Council of Australian Governments Energy Council set a vision for a clean, innovative, safe and competitive hydrogen industry that benefits all Australians and is a major global player by 2030. The Council agreed to establish a Hydrogen Working Group, chaired by Australia’s Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel, to develop a National Hydrogen Strategy that can achieve this vision.

Australia has the resources, and the experience, to take advantage of increasing global momentum for clean hydrogen and make it our next energy export. There is potential for thousands of new jobs, many in regional areas – and billions of dollars in economic growth between now and 2050. We can integrate more low-cost renewable generation, reduce dependence on imported fuels, and help reduce carbon emissions in Australia and around the world.

Much of how this opportunity will evolve remains uncertain, but there are risks in not acting early. Australia’s Strategy will follow an adaptive approach. It will focus on actions that remove market
barriers, efficiently build supply and demand, and accelerate our global cost-competitiveness. These will equip us to scale up quickly as markets develop.

A key element of Australia’s approach will be to create hydrogen hubs – clusters of large-scale demand. These may be at ports, in cities, or in regional or remote areas, and will provide the industry with its springboard to scale. Hubs will make the development of infrastructure more cost-effective, promote efficiencies from economies of scale, foster innovation, and promote synergies from sector coupling.

These will be complemented and enhanced by other early steps to use hydrogen in transport, industry and gas distribution networks, and integrate hydrogen technologies into our electricity systems in a way that enhances reliability.

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