WHEN I arrived in Newcastle in 2018 to take up my position at the university, I was struck by how people were energised by the opportunities that were in our collective reach.
As I have learned more about the Hunter and the Central Coast, it is clear that our university has an important community role. I can see that the university can help with revitalisation. Our regions have weathered disruptive and rapid evolutions of industry, commerce, and community. Today, we are ready to push forward once again and seize important opportunities for our regions' prosperity.
The Australian government has highlighted the need to diversify Australia's energy mix to secure our economic future. This week at Tomago, the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, laid out his government's vision in his Energy Address. He announced not just a new gas-fired power station, but funding for renewables such as hydrogen that can complement gas power and more traditional forms of energy production. Whether through broadening clean energy avenues, supporting new energy economies, or shoring up the stability of our existing grids, our region can play an important role in realising these energy opportunities.
Additionally, the NSW Minister for Energy and Environment, Matt Kean, last week released a major report by the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer on decarbonisation and set out his vision for an energy future. The minister called out the game-changing potential for hydrogen in our state's future energy mix. The report highlighted the potential for NSW to become one of the most cost-competitive locations in the world to produce hydrogen. The report gave insightful recognition of Newcastle's potential.
Hydrogen has a natural fit for a centre stage role in our future energy needs. It has potential applications across a range of markets including commercial and industrial usage, through to transport and agriculture. There are the obvious advantages of our regions. The Hunter, with its high-quality existing transport infrastructure, access to large scale gas industry and capacity for hydrogen production, would be the ideal location for a hydrogen hub, creating jobs and industries for our community.
The Hunter ... would be the ideal location for a hydrogen hub, creating jobs and industries for our community.
We are a region built on industrial innovation and have the right mix of advanced manufacturing, energy generation networks and a skilled workforce to provide a ready-made platform for the development of a hydrogen economy.
As a university for our regions, we will play our part in achieving successful uptake of new energy technologies. Our role in the regional futures agenda is a finely balanced one. Our place at the table is as expert advisors helping our industry and government achieve their respective visions. We do this every day in our research, academic and teaching activities. We have the knowledge as well as the research and development infrastructure to respond, bringing together industry partners, community interest-groups and governments to realise new opportunities.
We also have world class research capabilities in new and emerging energy technologies, led through our Newcastle Institute of Energy and Resources. As an example, the "hydro harvesting" technologies developed by Professor Behdad Moghtaderi and his team have the capability to harvest water from the air. By using electrolysis generated through solar technology, these innovations split pure water into separate hydrogen and oxygen components before storing the hydrogen as a gas. These and other ground-breaking research discoveries can spearhead Australia's capability in new methods of energy production and storage and create a viable future economy.
Led by our deputy vice-chancellor (Research and Innovation), Professor Janet Nelson, we have helped establish the Hunter Hydrogen Taskforce to accelerate this change. Professor Nelson came to the university from the US in early 2020. She brings a depth of experience and a track record of facilitating strong collaborations with industry that have resulted in real outcomes. The taskforce includes leaders from CSIRO, local and global industry, including our national leading research institutes. The team is working to identify the right development, investment and infrastructure needed to drive hydrogen activity in our region.
As our regions recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19, the need to develop new industries becomes even more critical. Our shared mission is for our regions to remain prosperous while transitioning our energy needs in a sustainable way. Our success will rely on the relationships we have with our regional partners and to turning our collective potential into a strong economic reality. The University of Newcastle is committed to helping make this shared vision a reality for all.
Professor Alex Zelinsky is Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Newcastle
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