German-Australian Energy and Climate Partnership: A New Milestone

On 13 September, Australia and Germany formalised a bilateral Energy and Climate Partnership, focusing on renewable hydrogen, energy efficiency, and climate action. Additionally, a €400 million tender agreement was signed to enhance the production and export of renewable hydrogen and accelerate market ramp-up.

On Friday, 13 September, Australian Energy Minister Chris Bowen and German State Secretary Anja Hajduk signed an agreement in Brisbane, elevating the existing energy partnership to a comprehensive "Energy and Climate Partnership." This partnership aims to enhance collaboration in renewable hydrogen, energy efficiency and the net zero transition, energy security and climate action.

The agreement was signed at the conclusion of a high-level industry and ministerial delegation visit to Queensland, Australia. This five-day trip was part of the German-Australian energy partnership, facilitated by adelphi's energy team and the German-Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce in cooperation with the Australian Trade and Investment Commission. During the visit, the delegation toured renewable energy facilities in Gladstone and participated in the Asia-Pacific Hydrogen 2024 Summit and exhibition in Brisbane, where German hydrogen off-takers connected with key Australian projects and stakeholders.

New tender for green hydrogen

During the delegation's visit, the two governments announced a joint €400 million H2Global tender. This initiative aims to promote the production and export of renewable hydrogen from Australia to Germany, supporting the market ramp-up in both countries and securing much needed hydrogen imports for German industry. German companies are already establishing contacts with Australian projects to deepen industrial collaboration and build global supply chains.

Franziska Teichmann, Senior Manager and Project Leader of the German-Australian Energy and Climate Partnership at adelphi, stated that the conditions for the tender will be developed over the coming months for both production and sales. The purchase auction for the joint tender is aimed to be held next year, with the support intended to cover ten years.

German-Australian partnerships for the energy transition

Australian hydrogen projects show strong interest in the H2Global mechanism and bilateral tender, with various projects slated to participate in the auction. On the German side, companies like thyssenkrupp nucera, Linde, and Siemens Energy are actively engaged in talks with Australian partners around the delivery of technologies and services. The German business delegation to Queensland included potential offtakers like SEFE and Evonik, who will continue to explore potential collaborations.

Energy efficiency has also been a focus area of the partnership over the past years, with activities and studies highlighting a multitude of opportunities for collaboration to advance the uptake of energy efficient practices and technologies. Since its inception in 2019, an industry-led working group has focused on buildings as well as industrial decarbonisation. Several examples highlight the impact that in-depth engagement can have.

New topics to the expanded partnership include a pillar on energy security as well as climate action, where working groups will be established soon. 

This expanded partnership marks an important step in the global energy transition and highlights the significance of international collaboration to achieve common climate goals.

More information on the partnership can be found here.