Australia’s NERA to develop 13 hydrogen clusters across the country

National Energy Resources Australia (NERA), to invest $ 1.75 million (US$ 1.32 million) in developing 13 hydrogen clusters across Australia as a part of a drive to establish a nationwide hydrogen cluster.

NERA is an Industry Growth Centre established under the Australian Government Innovation and Competitiveness Agenda, focusing on the energy resources sector.

The national cluster aims to support the development of the hydrogen supply chain, reduce overlaps, and identify gaps in the development, deployment, and commercialisation of new hydrogen-focused technologies.

Once developed, these hydrogen clusters will play a pivotal role in connecting to establish the national hydrogen cluster – which is proposed to operate as a virtual network.

NERA CEO Miranda Taylor said today’s announcement was a crucial step in building the skills, capacities and commercialisation opportunities necessary to unlock Australia’s enormous potential to create a globally competitive hydrogen industry.

The development of a national hydrogen cluster was identified by the 2019 National Hydrogen Strategy to make Australia a major player in the global hydrogen industry. Between February 2020 and March 2020, NERA consulted key stakeholders across Australia’s hydrogen ecosystem to inform the development of a national hydrogen cluster. These hydrogen technology clusters follow the conclusion of a seed funding selection program started by NERA in September 2020. NERA has also been able to leverage a range of funding commitments from state and territory governments around the country and industry financial support.