Government's National Hydrogen Strategy is positive for Australia - AGIG chief
Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG) – on the cusp of starting construction of Australia’s largest electrolyser, Hydrogen Park SA (HyP SA) – has welcomed the adoption by Australian governments of the National Hydrogen Strategy prepared by Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel.
AGIG’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ben Wilson, said today the release of the National Strategy and a new commitment to additional funding were positive and timely moves for Australia, especially considering the fast-moving development of the global hydrogen industry and emerging benefits.
“We welcome this latest move by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) towards the continuing development of the hydrogen industry as a major contributor to the nation’s economy," he said.
"The National Strategy recognises the importance of enabling blending of hydrogen with natural gas and the eventual use of 100% hydrogen in gas networks and also notes that industry and Government must invest now to capture this opportunity.
"This is consistent with Gas Vision 2050 released in 2017 which outlines the important role of gas today and the significant role gas and gas infrastructure can play in Australia reaching its carbon emission reduction targets through fuels such as hydrogen and biogas.
“Gas provides nearly a quarter of Australia’s total energy supply and is an important part of the energy mix for homes and businesses across the nation. Its natural ability to store and supply large amounts of energy safely and reliably mean it is an essential part of the energy story today and in the low-carbon future – through hydrogen.”
Mr Wilson said recent development approval granted for the pioneering Hydrogen Park SA (HyP SA) production facility within Adelaide's Tonsley Innovation District meant construction would start shortly, enabling renewable hydrogen to be blended into the local gas distribution network in Adelaide in 2020.
“Hydrogen is a zero carbon fuel that has the potential to create a major new export industry for Australia, delivering jobs and growth as Australian solar and wind resources are stored in the form of hydrogen and exported to energy hungry North East Asia,” he said.
“Northern and regional Australia, with the best solar and wind resources, are particularly well placed to benefit,” he said.
“Hydrogen also has the potential to revolutionise the nation’s transport and heat sectors. Hydrogen fuel cell cars, trucks and trains can combine zero emissions electric motors with the fast refuelling and long ranges associated with diesel vehicles today.
“An important consideration for the haulage sector is that hydrogen is actually lighter than diesel per unit of stored energy, whereas batteries are significantly heavier.”
The 1.25MW electrolyser to be Built at HyP SA is the first demonstration project of its scale and size. The $11.4 million project includes a A$4.9 million grant from the South Australian Government's Renewable Technology Fund.
About AGIG
Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG) owns and operates one of Australia’s largest gas infrastructure businesses with operations across every mainland state and the Northern Territory supplying approximately 2 million customers. Operations include 40,000km of distribution and transmission gas pipelines, 57 petajoules of gas storage capacity, gas processing facilities and remote power generation.
AGIG’s vision is to be the leading gas infrastructure business in Australia - by delivering for customers, being a good employer, and being sustainably cost efficient.
AGIG has a strong record of performance, delivering over $2 billion worth of projects on time, on budget and with safety a priority. A recent example of major project success is the new Tanami natural gas pipeline, built on budget in the Northern Territory for Newmont Goldcorp and commissioned earlier this year ahead of schedule.
For further information contact
Andrew Staniford, Chief Customer Officer, Australian Gas Infrastructure Group T (08) 8418 1125 John Field, Field Public Relations M (0418) 819 527