Australian hydrogen companies and project owners are preparing to travel to Rotterdam for the World Hydrogen Summit (9-11 May), Europe’s leading hydrogen conference.
This will be the first big opportunity to engage with Europe in more than two years, and Austrade is partnering with the Australian Hydrogen Council to showcase Australian projects.
According to analysis by Deloitte, Australia’s hydrogen economy could be worth up to $26 billion by 2050, opening doors to new streams of foreign direct investment, increasing innovation within the sector and contributing significantly to a reduction in greenhouse gases.
Australian Hydrogen Council CEO, Dr Fiona Simon, said the Australian contingent represents many companies at the forefront of the hydrogen sector. This will be an important conference for exchanging knowledge but also, for creating business opportunities and collaborations to connect and drive international supply chains.
“Hydrogen presents Australia with an economic growth opportunity, a way to evolve our resource and mining sectors and provide long-term economic security,” Simon said.
“Australia is not only putting its best foot forward at Rotterdam to demonstrate global leadership in a fast-evolving space. It is also about doing the groundwork to create a viable future export market for hydrogen and its derivatives.”
Trade and Investment commissioner for the Netherlands, Annika Barton, said Australia is competitively placed to be a major global player in producing and exporting green hydrogen and is already highly regarded as a prime candidate for global supply chain partnerships.
“With decades of energy export experience and an ideal geography, Australia is leading the way to scale up the global hydrogen economy. There is strong commercial appetite to shape this energy transition within the industry,” Barton said.
“European partners have a great deal to offer with key production technologies and in supporting utility scale of hydrogen projects. Australia is not only producing innovative hydrogen storage and transport technologies, but also sees Europe as a key client for offtake of green hydrogen within the next decade.”
Companies including Woodside, CWP and Origin Energy, among others, are investing in hydrogen technologies and initiatives to help reduce the emissions of their customers and supply chains.
“With Australia well positioned to be a major supplier of green hydrogen, and global demand continuing to rise, establishing ties with future global markets will lay the groundwork for a prosperous sustainable hydrogen energy future,” Barton said.