The Morrison government has committed $300 million to the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and instructed it to invest in new hydrogen energy projects including those powered by fossil fuels.
The move makes clear the government’s position on the debate over the potential to develop an emissions-free hydrogen industry powered exclusively by renewable energy.
“Gas and gas transmission networks already play an essential role in energy reliability, but gas has even more potential as a resource to produce and transmit hydrogen,” said Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor.
Renewable energy advocates, along with Labor-led governments in Queensland, Western Australia and the ACT, argue fossil-fuelled hydrogen should be barred from public funds, which should flow to “green hydrogen” powered by renewables. State governments contribute to regulation of the energy sector through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG).
Read more » $300m clean energy fund to back fossil-fuel hydrogen projects | SMH
