Melbourne, Australia: The Australian Hydrogen Council (AHC) congratulates the projects shortlisted under the next phase of Hydrogen Headstart, which are projects associated with Abel Energy at Bell Bay, HAMR Energy in Victoria, European Energy in southeast Queensland, HIF in northern Tasmania, Murchison Green Hydrogen in Western Australia, Perdaman in Karratha, and the Summit Hydrogen project in Gladstone associated with Rio Tinto and Sumitomo.
AHC CEO Dr Fiona Simon said the shortlist reflected both the increasing maturity of Australia’s industrial decarbonisation landscape and the growing diversity of hydrogen-enabled industries now emerging globally.
“The projects identified through this process span a range of industrial applications, producing methanol, ammonia, urea and green alumina,” Dr Simon said.
“That reflects the fact that hydrogen is increasingly being considered as an enabling industrial input connected to broader questions of fuel security, sovereign capability, industrial competitiveness and decarbonisation.”
Dr Simon said the shortlisted projects represented an important next step in Australia’s industrial transition pathway.
“At the same time, the reduced funding envelope and the strong level of competition for support demonstrate the scale of the challenge now facing industrial decarbonisation globally,” she said.
Dr Simon said the shortlist should sit alongside continued work to support other strategically important projects and pathways across Australia’s industrial transition, where access to further funding remains critical.
“Australia already has an ammonia industry producing fertilisers and inputs for sectors such as mining. That existing industrial capability also needs a credible pathway to decarbonise, and green hydrogen will be central to that task.
“Those projects are fundamentally connected to the objectives of Future Made in Australia, as is the opportunity to produce green iron.”
Dr Simon said the next phase of policy development would need to extend beyond production support and focus on the broader coordination challenges underpinning industrial transition.
“Hydrogen Headstart and the Hydrogen Production Tax Incentive remain important parts of the policy architecture, but major industrial transition projects also require durable investment settings, coordinated infrastructure development and long-term market confidence.”
Dr Simon said the opportunity for Australia remained substantial, but success would depend on ensuring policy mechanisms work together coherently across the full industrial ecosystem.
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About Australian Hydrogen Council The Australian Hydrogen Council is the peak representative body for the Australian hydrogen industry, with members from across the hydrogen value chain. Read more at www.h2council.com.au.