South Australia is headed for a wave of large-scale hydrogen and renewable energy development at a scale not seen before, with more than $20 billion of projects in capital development.

To navigate the complexity around this, the Hydrogen and Renewable Energy Bill has been introduced to State Parliament, to provide a single framework that can consider the needs of the environment, Aboriginal groups, landowners, communities, and the state’s strategic and economic ambitions.

The Bill incorporates elements of six Acts, thereby minimising red tape for prospective investors.

It will also support the Government’s $593 million Hydrogen Jobs Plan by facilitating a straight-forward and competitive approach to large-scale hydrogen and renewable energy development in the state.

The Bill applies to both freehold and government-owned land, as well as State waters. On freehold land, proponents will need to secure access to land through direct agreement with landowners.

A new release area process will be introduced for competitively conferring access and licences for projects on pastoral land and state waters.

The declaration of a release area will only occur after a consultative process involving government agencies, native title holders, owners of land, and other impacted stakeholders.

This will allow the government to responsibly assign access to some of the state’s most prospective areas for renewable energy development.

The Bill has been subject to extensive consultation over the past year, including with native title holders.

Meanwhile, the Australian and South Australian governments recently finalised a grant agreement to develop the Port Bonython Hydrogen Hub, which will create regional jobs and bring the nation a step closer to becoming a renewable energy superpower.

Together, the governments are investing $100 million to develop infrastructure at Port Bonython, near Whyalla, and prepare it to become the state’s first large-scale export terminal for hydrogen.

Along with private sector funding, the hub is expected to host projects worth up to $13 billion and projected to generate as much as 1.8 tonnes of hydrogen by 2030.

For more information visit the Hydrogen and Renewable Energy Act site and Office of Hydrogen Power South Australia.