The Government has released a Hydrogen Action Plan that sets out key steps to unlock private sector investment in hydrogen energy and support New Zealand’s transition to a low-emissions economy.
“New Zealand is fortunate to have abundant renewable energy potential, which provides a strong foundation to electrify much of our economy,” said Energy Minister Simeon Brown.
“However, some parts of the economy are not practical or possible to electrify, such as heavy transport and industry – this is where hydrogen could significantly reduce emissions while keeping our economy growing.
The Government has committed to enabling the hydrogen sector to be part of its energy mix by removing regulatory barriers and supporting international trade and investment.
The Action Plan sets out the government's actions to lower regulatory barriers and further enable the industry to develop energy solutions. These solutions will help power Kiwi businesses in the future. It has focused on four priority areas, creating an enabling regulatory environment:
- Reducing barriers to hydrogen project consent through Electrify NZ and RMA reform work programmes.
- Promoting a cost-effective and market-led transition to a low-emissions economy.
- Supporting access to international investment and markets.
The Hydrogen Action Plan has been delivered against one of the priorities in the coalition agreement between the National and New Zealand First parties: planning for transitional low-carbon goals, including the infrastructure needed to increase the use of methanol and hydrogen to achieve sovereign fuel resilience.
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts said that hydrogen could potentially reduce New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in hard-to-abate industries.
“Affordable and abundant clean energy is a key pillar to the Government’s climate strategy. Hydrogen could play a key role alongside the increasing electrification of our economy to help reduce our emissions and meet our climate change goals,” said Watts.
“I am excited by the potential to support New Zealand’s transition to a low-emission economy. I look forward to continuing to engage with the sector on opportunities for New Zealand.”
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