Securing water for an emerging Australian hydrogen industry

R&D Focus Areas:
Water use and treatment, Land use and ecological impacts

Lead Organisation:
CSIRO

Partners:
National Water Grid Authority

Status:
Active

Start date:
August 2023

Completion date:
June 2024

Key contacts:
Project leader: Kate Holland – kate.holland@csiro.au

Funding:
National Water Grid Authority
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

Project total cost:
AUD$1.7 million

Project summary description:
CSIRO will assess resource requirements for a future hydrogen industry in partnership with the National Water Grid Authority (NWGA), the lead Australian Government agency responsible for investing in Australia’s next generation water infrastructure, which forms part of the Australian Government’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).

The planned shift in Australian electrolyser capacity from megawatt to gigawatt scale will require a significant investment in understanding renewable energy and water supply, water treatment and wastewater management in the context of sustainable hydrogen production.

The project will develop a rapid, nationally consistent approach for understanding water resources and wastewater management requirements needed to support sustainable hydrogen development. Like other resource development activities, water extraction and infrastructure needed for hydrogen development requires careful assessment of potential environmental impacts. This includes consideration of potential impacts on environmental, economic, and cultural values as well as understanding potential competing needs of other water users, such as agriculture and other extractive industries. The regional-scale assessments will build on the CSIRO causal analysis methodology, based on science developed through the Geological and Bioregional Assessment Program. See GBA Explorer.

Related publications and key links:
Peeters LJM, Holland KL, Huddlestone-Holmes C, Boulton A (2022) A spatial causal network approach for multi-stressor risk analysis and mapping for environmental impact assessments. Science of the Total Environment 802. Doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149845.

Higher degree studies supported:
Not applicable.

 

Reviewed: July 2024