H2 Taranaki Roadmap Update
HOW HYDROGEN WILL PLAY A KEY ROLE IN OUR NEW ENERGY FUTURE
The New Zealand Government has committed to the development of a New Zealand Hydrogen Roadmap. This multi-stage process is being carried out by MBIE. “A Vision for Hydrogen in New Zealand” . The resulting document “A Vision for Hydrogen in New Zealand”4 was released in September 2019 and was followed by a public consultation process. 78 submissions were received. MBIE have prepared a summary of those submissions
The Green Paper noted: “The establishment of a strong low emissions economy, to which hydrogen contributes, is a very real opportunity and within reaching distance. Private sector investment, facilitated by appropriate Government policies, will allow New Zealand to benefit from significant decarbonisation across the entire energy system. Green hydrogen is a platform that will help reduce global emissions. New Zealand has an abundance of renewable energy that could be used to produce hydrogen as a next generation fuel in a sustainable way. With green hydrogen we have opportunities to create new jobs, convert heavy transport away from fossil fuels, enhance our security of electricity supply and even create significant export revenue.
In combination, electricity and hydrogen provide a robust energy system platform to decarbonize New Zealand. Their complementary characteristics can deliver benefits that neither can deliver in isolation.” Modelling Project MBIE subsequently commissioned consultants Castalia to prepare a modelling tool6 that identifies the key drivers for the future of New Zealand’s hydrogen economy. MBIE have noted that: “The model shows that the major drivers of whether economic production of hydrogen is possible in New Zealand will be the cost of electricity and the capacity and scale of electrolysers.
New Zealand’s role as exporter, importer or producer for domestic production will depend on relative electricity prices in possible competitor countries such as Australia.” A New Zealand Roadmap As part of its election campaign the Labour Party committed to further support for hydrogen. During the campaign the Minister of Energy and Resources Megan Woods stated: “A great example of work we can do to become a world leader is the development of a green hydrogen industry. We can produce some of the cleanest green hydrogen in the world, and potentially receive a premium for it in international markets. We are already working with other countries including Japan and have invested in a nationwide fuelling network and will invest $10 million in a roadmap and further opportunities”.7 The details on preparation of this national roadmap, including the timeline, are yet to be announced. Ministry of Transport’s Green Freight Project One of the key opportunities for hydrogen is as a fuel for heavy and/or high-use commercial vehicles.
The Ministry of Transport is carrying out a Green Freight Project8 exploring the roles of alternative green fuels – electricity, biofuels and hydrogen – in the heavy road transport industry. A Green Freight Background Paper was released in September 2019 and a strategic working paper “Green Freight: 2020” was released in May 2020. The two papers note a range of challenges and opportunities for these alternative fuels. The Green Freight 2020 paper included a Case Study on Hiringa Energy and its work with the heavy transport sector. Ports of Auckland In 2018 Ports of Auckland announced it was committed to building a hydrogen production and refuelling facility at its Waitemata port. Auckland Council, Auckland Transport and Kiwirail are project partners
