Mapping Australia’s renewable energy, green hydrogen, iron and steel potential
The Federal Government has included green hydrogen, iron and steel in its free award-winning Economic Fairways Mapper that helps to rapidly identify economic potential for resources projects.
Developed as part of the Exploring for the Future program, the Mapper identifies potential investment hurdles, technical challenges and knowledge gaps, regional availability of renewable energy and how its performance influences iron and steelmaking costs across Australia.
By analysing large volumes of renewable energy data to model the costs of steel production and how these vary spatially, the Mapper can provide valuable insight into the economics of building a green steel industry in different regions of Australia.
Federal Resources and Northern Australia Minister Madeleine King says the Mapper is a remarkable piece of technology that provides practical outcomes helping the resources sector understand the renewable energy potential of regions and inform decisions about the best place to invest.
“The Economic Fairways Mapper is another way the [Federal] Government is forging ahead on the road to net zero,” she said.
“Tools like these are vital to attracting much-needed investment, particularly in regional areas.”
Created by Monash University and Geoscience Australia, the Economic Fairways Mapper has already won the Australian Museum’s Eureka Prize for Innovative Research in Sustainability.
Monash University deputy director of resources engineering Dr Stuart Walsh says the real benefit of the Mapper is its ability to provide regional assessments of the economic potential for new green iron and steel projects.
“Using these methods in place of conventional iron and steel production has the potential to eliminate significant amounts of global greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.
WA DMIRS to be renamed
In other news, the WA Department of Mines, Industry and Safety (DMIRS) will be renamed the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DEMIRS) on 1 December 2023 to better reflect the State’s energy portfolio and decarbonisation efforts.
Energy Policy WA was fully integrated into the department on 1 July 2022.
The renaming will not affect DEMIRS’ other regulatory functions in relation to mining and resources sector.
WA Mines and Petroleum, Energy and Industrial Relations Minister Bill Johnston says the new department name better reflects the State Government’s commitment to a cleaner, greener future.
“The [WA] Government is fully committed to [the State’s] rapid energy transition, having committed $2.8b in the recent State budget for renewable energy projects,” he said.
“Energy Policy WA continues to modernise WA’s energy sector in support of our commitment to net zero by 2050.
“We will continue to work with industry and the community to ensure Western Australians can access secure, reliable, sustainable, and affordable energy services.”
