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). 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), natural gas resources, 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). Nine aquifers from the Galilee and overlying Eromanga and the Lake Eyre basins are included in the assessment. The Galilee Basin region has low renewable hydrogen potential except for small areas in the north, south and south-west. Although the renewable energy capacity factor in the basin is high, aquifers tend to have poor groundwater reserves or storativity, which results in lower overall renewable hydrogen potential. The Galilee Basin contains modest contingent gas resources, while sizeable gas reserves and contingent resources were identified in the overlying Eromanga Basin (Geoscience Australia, 2022). The geological CO2 storage assessment suggests that the Betts Creek - Rewan Play interval is the most prospective for CCS, with the highest potential around the central basin region. Further work on identifying detailed gas potential is needed to assess hydrogen generation potential from gas.

This web service shows the spatial locations of potential CO2 storage sites that are at an advanced stage of characterisation and/or development. The areas considered to be at an advanced stage are parts of the Cooper Basin in central Australia, a portion of the Surat Basin (Queensland), the offshore Gippsland Basin (Victoria), where the CarbonNet Project is currently at an advanced stage of development and the Petrel Sub-basin. This service will be presented in the AusH2 Portal.

This web service depicts potential geological sequestration sites and has been compiled as part of the Australian Petroleum Cooperative Research Centre's GEODISC program (1999-2002).

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.

This web service shows the spatial locations of potential CO2 storage sites that are at an advanced stage of characterisation and/or development. The areas considered to be at an advanced stage are parts of the Cooper Basin in central Australia, a portion of the Surat Basin (Queensland), the offshore Gippsland Basin (Victoria), where the CarbonNet Project is currently at an advanced stage of development and the Petrel Sub-basin. This service will be presented in the AusH2 Portal.

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.

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.

Publicly available geological data in the Galilee Basin region are compiled to produce statements of existing knowledge for natural hydrogen, hydrogen storage, coal and mineral occurrences. This data guide also contains assessment of the potential for carbon dioxide (CO2) geological storage and minerals in the basin region. The mineral occurrences are mostly found in the overlying basins, and they are often small and of little economic significance. There are some exceptions, such as the Lilyvale vanadium deposit found in the northern Galilee region, in the overlying Eromanga Basin. The Galilee Basin has limited potential for uranium and precious metal deposits due to relative lack of suitable formation conditions, but the depth of much of the basin makes exploration and mining difficult and expensive. There are some large coal measures found in the Galilee Basin, with 17 deposits in the Galilee and overlying Eromanga basins, containing about 38 billion tonnes of black coal. An assessment of geological storage of CO2 potential suggests the Galilee Basin Betts Creek - Rewan Play is the most prospective for storing CO2, with the highest potential around the central basin region. There are no reports of natural hydrogen in the Galilee Basin.

Green steel, produced using renewable energy and hydrogen, presents a promising avenue to decarbonize steel manufacturing and expand the hydrogen industry. Australia, endowed with abundant renewable resources and iron ore deposits, is ideally placed to support this global effort. This paper's two-step analytical approach offers the first comprehensive assessment of Australia's potential to develop green steel as a value-added export commodity. The Economic Fairways modelling reveals a strong alignment between prospective hydrogen hubs and current and future iron ore operations, enabling shared infrastructure development and first-mover advantages. By employing a site-based system optimization that integrates both wind and solar power sources, the cost of producing green steel could decrease significantly to around AU$900 per tonne by 2030 and AU$750 per tonne by 2050. Moreover, replacing 1% of global steel production would require 35 GW of well-optimized wind and solar photovoltaics, 16 GW of hydrogen electrolysers, and 1000 square kilometres of land. Sensitivity analysis further indicates that iron ore prices would exert a long-term influence on green steel prices. Overall, this study highlights the opportunities and challenges facing the Australian iron ore industry in contributing to the decarbonization of the global steel sector, underscoring the crucial role of government support in driving the growth and development of the green steel industry. <b>Citation:</b> Wang C et al., Green steel: Synergies between the Australian iron ore industry and the production of green hydrogen, <i>International Journal of Hydrogen Energy,</i> Volume 48, Issue 81, 1 October 2023, Pages 32277-32293, ISSN 0360-3199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2023.05.041

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.