Australian Hydrogen Centre

Project overview

Lead Organisation
Australian Gas Networks Limited
Location
South Australia
Victoria
ARENA Program
Advancing Renewables Program
Start date
23 December 2019
End date
30 June 2023
Project Partners
Department for Energy and Mining, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, AusNet Services, Engie Energy Services, Neoen Australia
This project was completed on 31 October 2023.

Summary

The Australian Hydrogen Centre will assess the feasibility of blending renewable hydrogen into gas distribution networks in Victoria and South Australia.

Need

Gas is relied upon by 6.5 million households and provides nearly a quarter of Australia’s total energy supply¹.

The gas sector’s vision is to be near zero carbon by 2050. One way this could be achieved is by using carbon-free or carbon-neutral gases (such as hydrogen) in place of natural gas. However, detailed plans first need to determine if the transition from natural gas to renewable gas is feasible.

This project consists of:

Hydrogen energy (Primary)

Project Knowledge

Contact

Name: AGN’s Strategy and Sustainability Team
Email: renewablegas@agig.com.au

Last updated
31 October 2023

Learn more

Reports: Australian Hydrogen Centre Regional Towns Study

This is a series of three reports that study the feasiblity of establishing green hydrogen production in specific regional towns in Victoria and South Australia, in order to to blend it for distribution to customers on the existing natural gas networks.

Reports: Australian Hydrogen Centre State-wide Blending Studies

This is a series of six reports that study the feasibility of producing and distributing green hydrogen using the existing natural gas networks in South Australia and Victoria. The detailed findings are described in a series of six feasibility study reports, each covering different scenarios. These scenarios range from supply of 10% of regional town’s gas consumption, through to providing 100% of the natural gas consumption across a whole state.

Action

The Australian Hydrogen Centre will assess the feasibility of blending renewable hydrogen into gas distribution networks (in the near term) and transition to 100 per cent hydrogen networks (over the long term).

Feasibility studies will include:

10 per cent hydrogen blending into selected regional towns in VIC and SA
10 per cent hydrogen blending into gas networks of VIC and SA
100 per cent hydrogen networks for VIC and SA

In addition, knowledge sharing reports will be published, presenting key learnings from Hydrogen Park SA (HyP SA) – where renewable hydrogen will be blended into the gas networks in the suburb of Mitchell Park, Adelaide.

Outcome

Key outcomes include:

comprehensive studies to decarbonise gas consumption in Victorian and SA
project plans to inject 10 per cent renewable hydrogen into selected regional towns
sharing the learnings from HyP SA – de-risking other power to gas projects
expanding the market for renewable electricity generation
establishing a platform for other states to decarbonise their gas consumption by leveraging on the Victorian and SA feasibility studies
establishing a large domestic market for renewable hydrogen.

Additional impact

Additional impacts include:

raising community awareness on the use of hydrogen and address safety and other concerns
provide a strong signal to electrolyser manufacturers for the potential deployment of large scale electrolysis
assist in the development of the renewable hydrogen industry at scale

1. Energy Networks Australia, Gas Vision 2050, https://www.energynetworks.com.au/projects/gas-vision-2050
2. HyP SA is being delivered by AGN and has received $4.9 million in grant funding from the South Australian Government, and will be in operation from Mid-2020 for a period of five years http://blendedgas.agn.com.au/