Taiwan and Australia have come together to discuss opportunities for bilateral cooperation in the area of clean energy, including the development of hydrogen-based technologies, according to Focus Taiwan.
The virtual talks under the bilateral Hydrogen Trade and Investment Dialogue also included strategies for increasing renewable energy, according to the Australian Office Taipei, which hosted the discussions.
Australia and Taiwan have recently cooperated on expanding offshore wind energy, and Taiwan’s Economics Minister Wang Mei-hua said Taiwan planned to make a greater push for partnership with its international friends on the application and development of hydrogen energy.
Minister Wang also noted that 27 per cent of Taiwan’s natural gas and 70 per cent of its coal requirements came from Australia.
The Australian delegation at the forum was led by the country’s Economics Minister Dan Tehan and Special Adviser on Low Emissions Technology Alan Finkel, who detailed in his keynote speech the challenges and opportunities related to hydrogen energy, the MOEA said in press release.
Related article: Why green hydrogen—not grey—could help solve climate change
In a separate statement, the Australian Office Taipei said the two sides also discussed the possibility of deepening business engagements to support increased investment in clean energy technologies, including hydrogen energy.
“The development and deployment of low emissions technologies will be critical to reducing emissions and creating new economic opportunities,” the Australian office said.
“They will also provide enormous opportunities for Australia and Taiwan to deepen our trade and investment cooperation, including in wind and solar, and in emerging low emissions technologies such as hydrogen.”
According to the office, the Hydrogen Trade and Investment Dialogue aligns with the goals of the Joint Energy and Minerals, Trade and Investment Cooperation (JEMTIC) consultations to explore new opportunities for energy cooperation and investment between Australia and Taiwan.