BLUF

The Australian government, supported by local and global companies, has committed $275m over five years to fund the construction of five wind and solar plants that will produce green hydrogen.

Summary

The Morrison government has committed $2bn to develop five Hydrogen hubs, the first to be built in the NSW Hunter Valley. This article makes the following points:

  • Green hydrogen is created using an electrolyser that passes an electrical current through water, separating it into hydrogen and oxygen.
  • The goal is to reduce the production cost of hydrogen to $2.00 per kilogram. 
  • Green hydrogen could become the cheapest form of fuel and an affordable emissions-free alternative to fossil fuels.
  • If successful, the next stage would pipe hydrogen to Newcastle to help run a clean energy plant manufacturing green ammonia for export.
  • A proposed third stage involves building a pipeline to renewable energy zones in New England and the central west.
  •  If this project succeeds, it could create more than 8,000 jobs and generate $11bn per annum by 2050.
Learn more about Australia’s development of hydrogen production.

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