AHK Australien kickstarted 2023 with a successful three-day delegation to the country’s West. Renewable energy and hydrogen are core topics in the relationship between Germany and Australia and are also central discussion points within the Free Trade Agreement negotiations between the European Union and Australia to which we expect an outcome mid-year. Delegates from 19 organisations joined a fully packed trip to Perth and gained insights about the local renewable energy and hydrogen industry through ten site visits and additional presentations from companies and industry leaders at receptions and functions.
Western Australia on the radar for international collaboration
Before the delegation officially started on Tuesday, 28 February, participants had the opportunity to join AHK Australien’s New Year Reception in Perth the night before. Deputy Premier of Western Australia, Hon Roger Cook, joined the reception at The Perth Mint, and highlighted the importance of successful international business and relations. Western Australia is a great place for business and has a long-standing tradition of German-Australian relations. The representation of Western Australia’s government alongside H.E. Dr Markus Ederer, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Australia, underlined the connection and importance of future collaboration for both countries.
For our delegation participants, the evening reception was a great way to get to know each other and commence high-level conversations on expectations and anticipation for the delegation.
Day 1: Discovering Perth’s South and new opportunities
The first full day of the Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Delegation started early: participants took the tour bus to Kwinana at 7:15am. Woodside Energy expected our delegation and welcomed us to their H2Perth site. Delegation participants got a tour of the site that compasses 130 ha and will be producing 100,000 tons of ammonia. We even got word that a 150 MW electrolyser is arriving there soon.
While being out in Kwinana, which is just South of Perth, the delegation were also welcomed by BP in their Kwinana Hub. In a brief presentation, participants were introduced to current and future projects by BP and how the renewable energy and hydrogen transition will work within global energy companies, especially the ones striving to collectively work on greener solutions.
Next stop was ATCO in Jandakot. We were excited to receive a tour through ATCO’s hydrogen microgrid and refueler station. It was particularly exciting to see the site running off rooftop solar, producing enough energy for the site as well as a few cars. Since last December, the system has expanded to 2,700 households and is a great model to be replicated across Australia. Their carpark houses numerous operating hydrogen fuel cell cars, which brings into perspective the reality that hydrogen technology is here, now.
Delegates could catch a quick breath over lunch which was provided by Western Australia’s Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation, before the program continued with presentations on Western Australia’s hydrogen and renewable energy strategy as well as key industry players, and Energy Cluster members, Linde and Green LOHC weighing in on future opportunities and challenges.
The last site visit of the day was at Curtin University, thanks to ThyssenKrupp Nucera’s display: a 3D model of an electrolyser. Participants were also captured by the demonstration of nano electrolysis in a cup of water. The mention of current projects such as the 200MW in the Port of Rotterdam and 2GW at NEON in Saudi-Arabia further impressed delegates and sparked hope for projects of this scale in Australia in the future.
The day ended with an official dinner at Fraser’s Kings Park, thanks to sponsor Woodside Energy, with H.E. Dr Markus Ederer and other special guests where delegates also had the chance of introductions.
Day 2: Renewable energy in Perth’s North
Delegates had just enough rest before another early morning start to visit the solar and wind farm at APA Group’s Western Australian Renewables Precinct in Badgingarra. Everyone was impressed by seeing the 37 wind turbines from Siemens Energy up close. We could also spot some inverters from SMA Solar Technology as well. The wind and solar farm is producing up to 150MW of electricity which is a great start but by far not sufficient enough to rely on yet.
After a much-needed lunch break at the Lobster Shack (including a tour of the lobster processing site), we continued the journey in Perth’s North with a stop in Joondalup to check out Perth’s Transit Authority Tesvolt Electric Bus Loading Station. A short spin in an electric bus inclusive for all our participants – the smile on everyone’s face gave it all away!
The last stop of the day led us to Malaga and UON Energy Storage Solutions. UON presented their impressive dewatering and decarbonizing services for mine sites which got many of us thinking even further. The future is looking bright and we all are so excited to see technology evolving more and more over time.
Another eventful day came to an end and delegates seemed to be rather happy to call it an early night to start the last day of our delegation refreshed and recharged.
Day 3: A day in Perth’s West – on the road to explore the future of energy
The final day of the delegation started with a tour of CSIRO’s Carbon Capture, Critical Minerals Sampling and Hydrogen Utilisation labs which were great topics to get our minds thinking for the day. CSIRO shared a wealth of knowledge, being an Australian Government agency responsible for scientific research, and we could have easily filled the day on this site alone.
However, the bus was calling for the journey to the next stop on the agenda, which was Fortescue Future Industries to learn more about Green Fleet Mining Vehicles. The transition to future-proof critical industries such as energy and mining is in full swing and there is no part that will be left unturned. FFI has a big vision for the industry and we were pleased to have them as a stop in our delegation.
Our last, but certainly not least stop of the delegation saw us heading to Hazer Group. Transforming dirt to gold – almost literally. Hazer Group has been working on delivering its demonstration plant that turns biogas into hydrogen and a valuable graphite product, using just iron ore as a catalyst – and no water! The technology produces hydrogen that can be used as fuel (they actually have a fuel cell onsite that powers their operations with the hydrogen produced), and the graphite has a range of potential applications. Given the only impurities in the graphite come from the catalyst (iron ore), the technology offers strong alignment with the steel making industry.
What a way to finish the day and our delegation to the west. Images of the delegation can be found here.
Delegations as a way to collective learning and source future opportunities
Delegations are a key part of AHK Australien and we are pleased to offer highly specific and topical delegations with key industry partners as well as in collaboration with governments every year. Seeing as renewable energy and hydrogen are critical topics for current developments between Germany and Australia, we will have more opportunities to connect with key partners throughout the year. Our Energy Cluster is always your first point of contact to discuss all things energy related. Members will always have first access to events and delegations but there are some initiatives and events, that may be open to non-members from time to time.
We encourage companies operating in the German and Australian market to become a member, stay informed and utilise the network of AHK Australien, alongside the whole global network offered by the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce.
