Australian Hydrogen Council proposes refreshed national hydrogen strategy

The paper forms AHC’s response to the consultation paper released by the Department of Climate Change Energy Environment and Water on the refreshed national hydrogen strategy, published on 7 July 2023.

Much has changed since the original strategy from 2019. The effects of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine have forced a reassessment of how nations consider the strategic overlaps between decarbonisation, national security, and self-sufficiency. In Australia there has also been a change of government, with a new approach to climate change and net zero.

Importantly, and as a fundamental outcome of these factors, the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), also a response to these global issues – requires a form of policy response to ensure Australia can continue to attract capital in a competitive environment. Australia cannot match the IRA in terms of the quantum of support, but a targeted policy and funding approach is needed.

AHC’s CEO, Dr Fiona Simon, says: “All of this is much larger than the question of hydrogen. However, clean and green hydrogen has a key role to play to decarbonise key sectors of the Australian economy, to support the decarbonisation of our trading partners’ economies, and to support our own fuel self-sufficiency. The lessons learned since 2019 have only amplified the need to focus our attention on how we can best effect the energy transition for Australia."

Overall, the revised national hydrogen strategy must be viewed as a key element of the Australian Government’s net zero strategy. This is logical given that hydrogen is itself the means to decarbonise the parts of the Australian economy that are difficult to decarbonise with electricity and storage alone.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/hydrogen/17082023/australian-hydrogen-council-proposes-refreshed-national-hydrogen-strategy/