The potential for hydrogen production in the Cooper Basin region is assessed to provide a joint information base for hydrogen generation potential from renewable energy, groundwater, and natural gas coupled with carbon capture and storage (CCS). This web service summarises hydrogen potential in the Cooper Basin region.

This web service features Australian hydrogen projects that are actively in the investigation, construction, or operating phase, and that align with green hydrogen production methods as outlined in Australia's National Hydrogen Strategy. The purpose of this dataset is to provide a detailed snapshot of hydrogen activity across Australia, and includes location data, operator/organisation details, and descriptions for all hydrogen projects listed.

Natural or native molecular hydrogen (H2) can be a major component in natural gas, and yet its role in the global energy sector’s usage as a clean energy carrier is not normally considered. Here, we update the scarce reporting of hydrogen in Australian natural gas with new compositional and isotopic analyses of H2 undertaken at Geoscience Australia. The dataset involves ~1000 natural gas samples from 470 wells in both sedimentary and non-sedimentary basins with reservoir rock age ranging from the Neoarchean to Cenozoic. Pathways to H2 formation can involve either organic matter intermediates and its association with biogenic natural gas or chemical synthesis and its presence in abiogenic natural gas. The latter reaction pathway generally leads to H2-rich (>10 mol% H2) gas in non-sedimentary rocks. Abiogenic H2 petroleum systems are described within concepts of source-migration-reservoir-seal but exploration approaches are different to biogenic natural gas. Rates of abiogenic H2 generation are governed by the availability of specific rock types and different mineral catalysts, and through chemical reactions and radiolysis of accessible water. Hydrogen can be differently trapped compared to hydrocarbon gases; for example, pore space can be created in fractured basement during abiogenic reactions, and clay minerals and evaporites can act as effective adsorbents, traps and seals. Underground storage of H2 within evaporites (specifically halite) and in depleted petroleum reservoirs will also have a role to play in the commercial exploitation of H2. Estimated H2 production rates from water radiolysis in mafic-ultramafic and granitic rocks and serpentinisation of ultramafic-mafic rocks gives a H2 inferred resource potential between ~1.6 to ~58 MMm3 y-1 for onshore Australia down to a depth of 1 km. The prediction and subsequent identification of subsurface H2 that can be exploited remains enigmatic and awaits robust exploration guidelines and targeted drilling for proof of concept. Appeared in The APPEA Journal 61(1) 163-191, 2 July 2021

A dataset of potential geological sequestration sites has been compiled as part of the Australian Petroleum Cooperative Research Centre's GEODISC program. Sites have been identified across all Australian sedimentary basins.

There is significant momentum in Australia to develop a hydrogen production industry. The Australian economy is highly reliant on fossil fuel exports and hydrogen is seen as a pathway to decarbonise Australia’s economy and as a source of ongoing export revenue in future years. Although not readily available in its natural form, hydrogen can be produced as a gas and used for a variety of everyday tasks and industrial uses: heating and cooking, transportation, alternative feedstock in industry, and energy storage. This talk provides a 101 on hydrogen and maps out a vision of hydrogen production in Australia.

This web service displays potential port locations for hydrogen export. This data is directly referenced to ‘The Australia Hydrogen Hubs Study – Technical Study’ by ARUP for the COAG Energy Council Hydrogen Working Group, 2019’.

This web service features Australian hydrogen projects that are actively in the investigation, construction, or operating phase, and that align with green hydrogen production methods as outlined in Australia's National Hydrogen Strategy. The purpose of this dataset is to provide a detailed snapshot of hydrogen activity across Australia, and includes location data, operator/organisation details, and descriptions for all hydrogen projects listed.

The potential for hydrogen production in the Galilee Basin region is assessed to provide a joint information base for hydrogen generation potential from renewable energy, groundwater and natural gas coupled with carbon capture and storage (CCS). This web service summarises hydrogen potential in the Galilee Basin region.

The potential for hydrogen production in the Cooper Basin region is assessed to provide a joint information base for hydrogen generation potential from renewable energy, groundwater, and natural gas coupled with carbon capture and storage (CCS). Hydrogen generation requires water, whether using electrolysis with renewable energy or steam methane reforming (SMR) of gas with CCS. The data package includes the regional renewable energy capacity factor, aquifers and their properties (potential yield, salinity, and reserves or storativity), and geological storage potential of carbon dioxide (CO2). This data guide gives examples of how the compiled data can be used. The renewable hydrogen potential is assessed based on renewable energy capacity factor and groundwater information (potential yield, salinity, and reserves or storativity). Three aquifers from overlying basins (Eromanga and Lake Eyre basins) are included in the assessment. The Cooper Basin region has high renewable hydrogen potential. The presence of good aquifer throughout the basin combined with high renewable energy capacity factor resulted in significant areas with high hydrogen potential. The Cooper Basin has significant hydrocarbon resources, primarily for gas (Geoscience Australia, 2022). Although most known hydrocarbon resources have depleted since production began in the 1960s (Smith et al., 2015), a large amount of gas remains, including conventional gas (1,058 PJ reserves and 1,598 PJ resources) and unconventional basin-centred gas (2,265 PJ resources). An assessment in the overlying Eromanga Basin suggests that most areas over the Cooper Basin are prospective for potential CO2 geological storage (Bradshaw et al., 2023). Further work on identifying detailed gas potential is needed to assess hydrogen generation potential from SMR coupled with CCS.

The potential for hydrogen production in the Cooper Basin region is assessed to provide a joint information base for hydrogen generation potential from renewable energy, groundwater, and natural gas coupled with carbon capture and storage (CCS). This web service summarises hydrogen potential in the Cooper Basin region.