Taranaki could lead NZ into low-carbon economy with hydrogen roadmap
A future driven by hydrogen will be feasible for Taranaki as it looks beyond oil and gas, a new report reveals.
The H2 Taranaki Roadmap, launched on Friday in New Plymouth, looks at how the region can use its existing skills and infrastructure to become a leader in hydrogen production.
The proposal could see depleted gas fields used to store hydrogen, electricity generation using green hydrogen, establishing a New Plymouth refuelling station, and Port Taranaki, with its experience handling industrial chemicals, becoming a key hub for export.
"We have to have a plan for carbon neutrality," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at Friday's launch, where she was welcomed despite announcing the bans on offshore oil and gas exploration a year ago.
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"Of course this is an area where there is pretty rapidly changing technology and a space where there is pretty rapid innovation," she said.
"But they've set out their aspiration and some timelines and we need that kind of aspiration if we're going to hit our goals of carbon neutrality by 2050."
Energy minister Megan Woods said it wasn't just the technology that was moving fast but also the economics. In Norway, companies were already close to generating hydrogen more cheaply than fossil fuels.
"If we look at the levelised cost of energy across hydrogen compared to gas, we're already seeing in 2020 that will have an 18 cents verses 20 cents advantage for hydrogen.
"Even keeping the hydrogen price the same at 2050, keeping that 18 cent figure at a constant for 2050 that compares to 32 cents for gas. So what we'll see is there will be strong commercial decisions that will be made in this area."
The plan stated that by 2030, medium trucks could be converting to hydrogen fuel, Taranaki could be exporting green ammonia and up to 2000 tonnes of hydrogen could be produced daily.
"With the potential of Taranaki's undeveloped wind, water, solar and wave resources there is significant opportunity to develop large-scale green hydrogen production to supply multiple markets including industrial feedstock, transport, stationary energy and export," the report said.
Mayor Neil Holdom said the plan was a great start to tackling the global issue of climate change.
"We can't find the transition to a low emissions economy without enterprise," he said.
"It's a lofty ambition but I'm confident my children will see the reality of it working in action. And they're the reason why we're doing it."