The Australian Hydrogen Council (AHC) has welcomed today’s announcement by the Morrison Government of extra grants funding and expansion of its short list for a national network of clean hydrogen hubs.
AHC CEO, Dr Fiona Simon, said the announcement of an extra $150 million in grants funding underlines that the Government is serious about investing in Australia’s hydrogen future.
“Committing grant funding of $464m to support feasibility studies and construction is another important step forward,” said Dr Simon.
“It’s certainly a vote of confidence in the industry and we hope there’s more to come.
“There’s no doubt that Australia has the renewable energy resources, the technical skills, and the track record with international partners to become a global hydrogen leader.
“Grant funding is an important part of the bigger picture.
Dr Simon said the decision to increase the number of hubs from five to seven is good news for jobs and getting the industry to scale as hubs drive collaboration and shared benefit.
“Globally, hubs are considered vital to establish scale in clean hydrogen.
“We now await broader planning and regulatory architecture being put into place to enable hydrogen to reach commercial scale.”
Earlier this year, Truck Industry Council CEO, Tony McMullan, said hydrogen is not the panacea that is being currently touted by much of the mainstream media, at least not in the short term.