AsianOil: Australian gas lobby welcomes hydrogen report

The Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA) has welcomed the release of the 2022 State of Hydrogen report as an important step towards achieving net-zero emissions, which will pave the way for new economic opportunities for the nation, the organisation said in a statement this week.

APPEA CEO Samantha McCulloch said she believed that the gas sector has a critical role to play in kick-starting low-emissions hydrogen, stating that "natural gas combined with carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) is currently by far the most affordable pathway for low-carbon hydrogen production." She added that this approach would enable faster scale-up to support economy-wide decarbonisation, and could help minimise the impact on the costs of doing business for Australian manufacturers and industry as they align with climate targets.

McCulloch also noted that under the International Energy Agency (IEA)'s Net Zero by 2050 scenario, over a quarter of hydrogen in 2050 will come from natural gas utilising CCUS. Therefore APPEA has called for the identification and advancement of priority hubs for low-carbon hydrogen and CCUS in its 2023-2024 federal budget submission.

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