The Smart Energy Council was proud to mark the 78th Anniversary of India’s Independence at Old Parliament House in Canberra, alongside dignitaries and industry leaders.
The event featured Scott Hamilton, Director at the Smart Energy Council, CEO John Grimes, and His Excellency Mr Gopal Baglay, High Commissioner of India to Australia.
As part of the celebrations, the Smart Energy Council officially launched a landmark report, Strategic Hydrogen: Aligning Australia and India Energy and Industrial Decarbonisation Goals, prepared on behalf of the High Commission of India and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
The report reframes green hydrogen as a vital tool for industrial decarbonisation, rather than an end in itself. It highlights the complementary strengths of Australia and India:
- Australia offers abundant renewable energy resources, critical minerals, and emerging hydrogen production capacity.
- India brings scale, industrial capacity, and a strong policy framework through its National Green Hydrogen Mission.
Together, this partnership opens the door to major opportunities, including:
- Green ammonia to support emissions reduction and food security.
- Green iron and steel production, replacing coal with hydrogen-based processes.
- A potential $80 billion trade corridor by 2050 built on hydrogen and its derivatives.
Speaking at the launch, Scott Hamilton said:
“Australia and India don’t need a hydrogen economy for its own sake — what we need is smart, strategic deployment of hydrogen in sectors where electrification alone won’t get us there. This partnership has the potential to drive jobs, trade, and decarbonisation across the Indo-Pacific.”
The report emphasises that green hydrogen is not a silver bullet, but when deployed strategically in hard-to-abate industries, it can accelerate emissions reductions, create a new clean trade corridor, and strengthen regional competitiveness.
Read the full report here
Media contact – tim@smartenergy.org.au – 0448 972 192
