Northern Territory
Northern Territory – Hydrogen Industry Policy Initiatives
The Northern Territory Government is focusing its efforts on undertaking foundational activities to facilitate and remove barriers to hydrogen-related project developments.
In June 2025, the Northern Territory Government released the Northern Territory Hydrogen Projects Regulatory Map. The map provides an overview of the key Northern Territory regulatory instruments that may apply to different types of hydrogen projects. The Map has been prepared to give hydrogen proponents and users a high-level overview of the Northern Territory regulatory framework and covers seven model hydrogen project types that reflect the expected future hydrogen industry supply chain and early hydrogen applications in the Northern Territory.
In view of the significant volumes of renewable energy required to support longer term hydrogen industry development, the coverage of regulatory aspects is being extended to mapping the regulatory requirements related to the development of a wind energy industry in the Northern Territory. Key deliverables include the publication of a high-level regulatory map to inform industry.
The Northern Territory has developed a Northern Territory Hydrogen Supply Chain Map and Industry Capability Assessment, with the objective to better inform industry of current capabilities and opportunities.
- The Northern Territory hydrogen supply chain map provides a graphical overview of the potential hydrogen supply chain in the Northern Territory, including feedstock inputs, production pathways, processes, applications and likely end uses.
- Based on the map, the Northern Territory Hydrogen Supply Chain Statement of Capability Report (released February 2025) provides an assessment of current local industry capability to support a future hydrogen industry in the Northern Territory.
In July 2024, the Northern Territory Government released a Northern Territory Wind Resource Assessment and Wind Measurement Strategy, with the objective to promote its wind resource potential and accelerate private sector investment in wind generation projects. The Study noted that the Northern Territory has good wind resource potential, primarily in the Barkly and Central Australia regions.
Consistent with the Northern Territory Government’s approach to diversify the forms of renewable energy that can support potential hydrogen projects, in November 2024, the Government released a 2024 update to the Geothermal Energy Potential of the Northern Territory (as documented in NTGS Record 2007-004). This update focusses on the prospectivity for geothermal power generation using current and emerging technologies related to three broad strategies for producing geothermal energy from the subsurface – hot sedimentary aquifers (HSA), engineered geothermal systems (EGS), and advanced geothermal systems (AGS)
The Northern Territory Government is working with industry and Australian Government stakeholders to develop the Middle Arm Sustainable Development Precinct into a sustainable ‘development ready’ industrial precinct with common user infrastructure. As of July 2025, a strategic environmental assessment is in progress for the precinct.
The Northern Territory is host to several large-scale hydrogen projects (see the HyResource projects map for locations) including the Darwin H2 Hub project, which comprises a downstream hydrogen processing and export facility, an upstream solar farm, and transmission infrastructure and assets. The project may locate its downstream green hydrogen processing and export facility within the Middle Arm Sustainable Development Precinct.
The Australia-Asia Power Link (AAPowerLink) project proposes to develop a large-scale renewables-based energy generation (wind and solar) and battery storage precinct in the heart of the Northern Territory capable delivering up to 6 GW of renewables-based electricity to users, of which 4 GW is planned to be transmitted to Darwin (potentially supporting hydrogen and other industry developments in the Northern Territory).
Reviewed: July 2025