Australia and Germany announced a Declaration of Intent on the Australia-Germany Hydrogen Accord. The Accord builds on the company’s respective strengths, with Australia looking to be a major hydrogen exporter and Germany holding expertise in hydrogen technology and planning to import significant quantities of hydrogen in the future.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said international collaboration focused on technological innovation was key to getting new energy technologies like hydrogen to commercial parity.
“Our partnership with Germany will accelerate the development of an Australian hydrogen industry and create new jobs,” Morrison said. “Our ambition is to produce the cheapest clean hydrogen in the world, which will transform transport, mining, resources and manufacturing at home and overseas. Developing new low emissions industries means more jobs for Australian workers, and cheaper energy means lower costs for businesses so they can reinvest in hiring more people.”
Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said getting new energy technologies to parity with existing technologies was the only way to reduce emissions without imposing taxes or new costs on households, businesses and industry.
The Accord includes three major initiatives; 1. Establishing the German-Australian Hydrogen Innovation and Technology Incubator. (HyGATE) to support real-world pilot, trial, demonstration and research projects along the hydrogen supply chain. Australia and Germany have respectively committed up to $50 million and €50 million to establish HyGATE; 2. Facilitating industry-to-industry cooperation on demonstration projects in Australian hydrogen hubs; 3. Exploring options to facilitate the trade of hydrogen and its derivatives produced from renewables (such as ammonia) from Australia to Germany, including through Germany’s H2Global Initiative, which supports long-term supply agreements with German industry.
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