NERA launches platform to connect hydrogen industry to global market

NERA (National Energy Resources Australia) has launched HyCapability — Australia’s first hydrogen capability finder, connecting Australian hydrogen businesses with a domestic and global market through a free, online, searchable platform.

HyCapability is the latest development in the hydrogen sector from NERA and the Hydrogen Technology Cluster Australia (H2TCA), and has been created with the assistance of EconomX, the economic development and supply chain management (SCM) platform which maps and promotes regional hydrogen ecosystems and supply chain capability.

“HyCapability allows Australian companies with innovative technology, services and equipment for the hydrogen industry to cut through the noise and profile themselves,” said Miranda Taylor, NERA CEO. “All of NERA’s work in hydrogen is driven by one goal: to develop the industry so the country exports more than just hydrogen molecules. Australia is uniquely positioned to become a world leader in niche technologies and services that support the fast-emerging hydrogen industry. We just need to continue to seize every opportunity to showcase our capabilities, capability and experience to the global market.”

HyCapability offers a ‘shop window’ to companies working in the hydrogen sector. Susan Mercer, the CEO of H2Q, the organisation behind Queensland’s hydrogen industry cluster, said they are excited to promote and support HyCapability.

“As a key cluster within the H2TCA, we’re focused on sustainably growing the hydrogen industry ecosystem in Queensland,” she said. “We share a vision with NERA of building the skills, capacities and commercialisation opportunities necessary to unlock Australia’s enormous potential to create a globally competitive hydrogen industry. It’s exciting to see the capability mapping project which H2Q commenced in Queensland has now become a national platform with NERA.”

Vesna Olles, the Director Strategy and Clean Energy at Australia’s gas and welding equipment specialist BOC, welcomed the launch of HyCapability.

“This is a critical platform that will connect businesses as we seek to build partnerships, collaborate and rapidly progress projects to get the hydrogen industry to scale,” she said. “We look forward to using this new platform and also sharing our local and global capability across the entire hydrogen supply chain.”

Trent Humphrys, the Director of Queensland based hydrogen transport and storage company H2 Hauler, said: “We’ve joined HyCapability to connect with other suppliers, gauge capability and to promote our own equipment. I’d encourage all companies and organisations in and around the emerging hydrogen industry to sign up and make themselves familiar with this very pragmatic platform.”

The platform has four main objectives:

1. Supporting the growth of the hydrogen industry across the whole value chain.
2. Increasing the promotion of Australian hydrogen-related businesses to domestic and international markets.
3. Creating a baseline understanding of the Australian hydrogen industry.
4. Increasing momentum and creating connections for the H2TCA network.

HyCapability offers domestic and global markets a free online search engine built to strengthen the connection between Australia’s hydrogen SMEs and technology companies and possible domestic and international customers.

NERA said it will be the most comprehensive mapping of Australia’s hydrogen capability and digital technologies to date and will make it easier to identify capability along the hydrogen value chain.

Image: ©stock.adobe.com/au/SmirkDingo