Political partners, policy definitions, and projects

At the end of July, Germany outlined its import strategy for clean hydrogen. This week, Australia announced its “revitalised” National Hydrogen Strategy 2024.

While these two countries may sit on polar opposite sides of the globe, the two strategies are likely to prove closely linked.

Australia’s new ambition is to target “15m tonnes of green hydrogen – with a stretch potential of 30m annually – by 2050”. Key to the financial case for this will be the “$2 per kilogramme Hydrogen Production Tax Incentive”. Likely demand sectors are identified as “green metals (iron and alumina), ammonia, long-haul transport (heavy road, aviation, shipping) and power generation and grid support”.

In the early years – by 2030 – Australia “aims to produce 0.5-1.5m tonnes”. While “consolidation of domestic use, including more challenging uses such as aviation” is cited for later on (2040-2050), the crucial 2030 to 2040 period aims to see “increased scale production and export of hydrogen and derivatives”.

On that last point, one needn’t invoke the Gods of Coincidence to explain how this week has also seen Germany plan “to hold an exclusive AUD $660m ($444m) auction for green hydrogen imports from Australia through H2Global funding”.