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Growing Australia's hydrogen industry

To support our future energy needs the world needs clean, flexible, storable and safe fuels. Hydrogen has all of these characteristics. As a fuel it produces no carbon emissions, only water.

We can use it to:

power vehicles
generate electricity and produce heat
make products like fertilisers, plastics and explosives.

Australia has an abundance of natural resources to make clean hydrogen for our own use and to supply the world.

Our vision is to build a clean, innovative, safe and competitive hydrogen industry that benefits all Australians. We aim to grow our hydrogen industry and position Australia as a major player by 2030 through Australia's National Hydrogen Strategy.

Prioritising hydrogen to reduce emissions

Hydrogen is a priority low emissions technology for Australia. Producing clean hydrogen under $2 per kilogram (H2 under 2) is a priority stretch goal under the government’s 2020 Low Emissions Technology Statement.

Partnering internationally to supply hydrogen

We are setting the foundations for Australia to be a major hydrogen exporter. We are doing this by partnering with other countries to attract investment, build supply chains and advance research and development.

This includes:

investing in new hydrogen initiatives with Germany as we explore hydrogen supply chain possibilities
working to accelerate low emissions technologies with Singapore. This includes maritime and port operations
partnering with Japan to decarbonise through technology as we cooperate on hydrogen fuel cells and a world-first clean liquefied hydrogen export pilot project
engaging with the Republic of Korea on a hydrogen production action plan
promoting hydrogen safety best practice as a member of the US Center for Hydrogen Safety
supporting the Special Adviser to the Australian Government on Low Emissions Technology to engage with international partners.

Certifying hydrogen production

Australia is designing and developing an internationally consistent Guarantee of Origin certification scheme for Australia.

Through the International Partnership on Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy, we work with other countries to agree on methods for determining carbon emissions associated with hydrogen production.

We ran a survey on certification in 2020 and released a discussion paper in 2021.

Responses to the paper will help us develop a trial Guarantee of Origin hydrogen certification scheme for Australia.

Funding for the trial is part of a $275.5 million investment in building the hydrogen industry.

Creating regional hydrogen export hubs

The National Hydrogen Strategy supports the creation of ‘hydrogen hubs’ – regions where hydrogen users and exporters are co-located. The hub model is an efficient and effective way to grow Australia’s hydrogen industry as it allows for fewer, bigger supply chains, with associated cost savings.

The Australian Government committed to funding Australia’s first hydrogen hub in 2020.

Funding to develop 4 additional hubs is part of a $275.5 million investment in building the hydrogen industry announced in 2021.

This investment also provides for up to 10 hydrogen hub feasibility studies and legal reforms to facilitate trade.

Developing hydrogen hubs is an important step towards creating domestic demand and scaling up an Australian hydrogen industry.

Progressing the hydrogen industry

We are also:

completing a National Hydrogen Infrastructure Assessment
reviewing Australia’s legal frameworks to better support hydrogen industry development and safety
completing activities to support the addition of hydrogen in our gas networks, from reviewing national gas laws to considering the economics of blending and use of up to 100% hydrogen in gas networks
providing support for hydrogen pilots, trials and demonstrations
creating an Australian hydrogen researcher network
doing research to inform community engagement
mapping future hydrogen workforce needs
developing an annual State of Hydrogen report.