- Leading Australian energy infrastructure business, APA Group, today welcomes the release of the NSW Government’s Hydrogen Strategy.
As a leading Australian energy infrastructure provider APA looks forward to working with the NSW Government to unlock NSW’s advantages in hydrogen, supporting the state’s commitment for a lower carbon future.
“Gas and gas infrastructure will continue to play a critical role as the energy transition takes place,” APA CEO and Managing Director Rob Wheals said.
“Gas will be vital to supporting renewables growth and Australia’s decarbonisation pathway, but the gas industry is also well placed to diversify and deploy decades of knowledge, capability and critical infrastructure to play a leading role in developing the low emissions technologies of tomorrow, at scale, and to support our own ambitions for a net zero future.
“It is absolutely clear that Australia and NSW have a natural competitive advantage in hydrogen and with billions of dollars already invested in gas infrastructure across the country, it makes sense to look at ways to use our existing energy infrastructure to support the state’s transition to a low carbon future.
“While there are economic challenges, and the science of developing a clean hydrogen economy continues to develop, Australia is a step ahead with an abundance of wind and solar to power the production of renewable ‘green’ hydrogen and an existing network of pipelines potentially capable of transporting hydrogen for domestic use or export.”
APA’s gas pipelines not only connect our cities and regional areas, but they are linked and adjacent to some of the best geographical locations for hydrogen production, such as renewable energy zones.
APA’s Pathfinder program, which will be a key enabler in APA’s efforts to achieve net zero operations emissions by 2050, is looking at hydrogen energy solutions of the future as well as other innovations and technologies that will help APA leverage its existing capabilities.
Last month APA joined a consortium of Australian and Japanese energy players in an effort to establish Queensland’s largest green hydrogen project.
Through APA’s Pathfinder program, APA has joined Stanwell and Japanese companies Iwatani Corporation, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Kansai Electric Power Company and Marubeni to commence a detailed feasibility study into the development of a large-scale green hydrogen project in Central Queensland.
APA has also partnered with Future Fuels CRC and Wollongong University to test the ability of a section of the Parmelia Gas Pipeline in Western Australia to carry up to 100 per cent hydrogen.
While the first phase of testing confirmed the technical viability of the pipeline to transport hydrogen, the second phase of testing is expected to prove the operational capacity of the existing gas transmission pipeline to transport hydrogen in pure form or blended with natural gas.
Following the completion of the testing, the pilot project results will also support decision-making for the potential transition of other APA assets to be hydrogen-ready.
Read the most up to date Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Industry news at FuelCellsWorks
