Hydrogen Supply within HILT Regional Hubs – H2 cost and synergistic opportunities

R&D Focus Areas:
Techno-economic evaluation

Lead Organisation:
CSIRO

Status:
Active

Start date:
June 2023

Completion date:
May 2024

Key contacts:
Lead Investigator: Dr Tara Hosseini (CSIRO): tara.hosseini@csiro.au

Funding:
Heavy Industry Low-Carbon Transition CRC

Total project cost:
AUD$617,682 (cash and in-kind contributions)

Project summary description:
Hydrogen is an important component of the low-carbon pathway for heavy industries, but there are a lot of uncertainties around the future cost of hydrogen. There are different potential routes to net-zero hydrogen but there is no common framework that can estimate the cost of delivering hydrogen to the heavy industries in an industrial hub. Hydrogen hub concepts are emerging from initiatives around the country.

The hydrogen hubs announced are diverse and initiated by different companies and government organisations and their suitability has been assessed based on general supply/demand data in the area. These studies are generic and high level and they do not provide information related to the preferred hydrogen production pathway, type and scale of renewable energies available and the cost of delivered hydrogen in a specific region.

There are also some independent studies on the potential of utilising hydrogen in some heavy industries in different regions and some of them have provided a qualitative estimation of hydrogen cost. These cost estimation frameworks are generic and sometimes have a different basis and do not account for regional issues and opportunities.

Related publications and key links:
Hydrogen Supply within HILT Regional Hubs – H2 Cost and Synergistic Opportunities | Projects | HILT CRC
Report in preparation

Higher degree studies supported:
Not applicable

 

September 2023