The role for offshore wind power in renewable hydrogen production in Australia

The offshore wind sector is growing rapidly globally, with the Asia Pacific expected to replace Europe as the largest region in terms of cumulative installations in the coming decade (GWEC, 2022). The growth in offshore wind in the Asia Pacific region is supported by policies implemented by governments in the People's Republic of China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, and Vietnam. Governments have also announced mid-term targets designed to provide certainty to companies considering investing in the sector (IRENA, 2021a). In addition to enabling the decarbonization of electricity, offshore wind has the potential to support the production of renewable hydrogen (Dinh et al., 2021; Franco et al., 2021; Lucas et al., 2022; Ibrahim et al., 2022). Hydrogen produced from renewable electricity via electrolysis is an option for decarbonizing sectors that cannot be directly electrified (IEA, 2021; Singlitico et al., 2021). Offshore wind is being considered in Denmark and Germany as an input into hydrogen production (Stori, 2021). In the United Kingdom, Aker Offshore Wind, Aker Clean Hydrogen, and DNV have proposed large scale grid connected projects combining floating offshore wind capacity with a refinery that produces ammonia, liquid hydrogen, and synthetic fuels (Buljan, 2021). At least eleven dedicated floating offshore wind platforms for hydrogen production are under consideration or development globally (Ibrahim et al., 2022).