NERA’s National Hydrogen Cluster: update and next steps

Australia’s attention is currently — and rightly — focussed on the complex and widespread challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Right now, NERA is working to support our sector navigate these uncertain times and build resilience throughout our community, while also assisting our industry continue their crucial work throughout our energy resources sector.

As part of this goal, NERA is committed to updating our energy industry stakeholders on progress to develop a national Hydrogen Industry Cluster. The development of the cluster and NERA’s role forms a key part of the National Hydrogen Strategy released by the Council for Australian Governments (COAG) in November 2019.

Earlier this year, NERA successfully conducted 11 workshops across Australia during February and March, engaging with almost 300 hydrogen industry professionals across the value chain. As a participant in this workshop series, we thank you for your time, energy and input in making every session constructive and valuable. 

The overwhelming message from this nascent, emerging industry in its pre-competitive stage is to share as much information as possible, collaborate and grow together to tackle the technology and market challenges. To be successful, we need a vibrant technology sector and an informed value chain to focus on reducing the costs of scaling up and identify the commercial target markets.

Whilst COVID-19 has certainly curtailed some of our plans, it has brought others into sharp focus. We have heard your message, and even before the establishment of the Cluster, we have put plans in place to initially work on a knowledge sharing platform that will provide a depth of insight into many key areas. In the coming months we will establish a Hydrogen Cluster national steering committee that will finalise the business case and governance model, with a view to launching the Cluster in late 2020. 

The knowledge sharing platform will complement NERA’s range of initiatives that create connections for growth by enabling direct contact between energy resource operators and buyers. One such example is the Australian Technology Catalogue portal — a collaboration between NERA and Deployment Matters — which helps Australian suppliers connect with end-users and rapidly deploy their technology. The portal provides an invaluable virtual platform for Australian suppliers to showcase and prove their technology solutions, raise exposure and improve their business resilience.

NERA encourages all SMEs with innovative technology to feature their solutions on the catalogue today.

We would like to thank all the participants who gave their time and their frank, fearless opinions of where the Cluster should focus its time and resources for the hydrogen industry. We look forward to working with you over the coming years.

For more information on the Australian National Hydrogen Strategy and the underpinning reports referenced in the workshops, please follow the links.

For more information about the workshop series and the Hydrogen Cluster, please contact NERA Project Lead Jill Stajduhar at jill.stajduhar@nera.org.au.