Hydrogen deal with Singapore

An arrangement of cooperation on low-carbon hydrogen signed with Singapore signals the start of greater collaboration on the transition towards low carbon economies, energy and resources minister Dr Megan Woods says.

The agreement between New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry and the National Climate Change Secretariat has been signed by Woods and Singapore’s trade and industry second minister Dr Tan See Leng,

“This arrangement builds on the Singapore-New Zealand Enhanced Partnership signed in 2019 and marks the start of a journey between our two countries to collaborate on the production, deployment and research into a new hydrogen economy,” Woods says. 

“Hydrogen is a key future fuel option that will help us meet our climate goals by enabling us to decarbonise transport and industry applications in particular that will be hard to electrify.

“New Zealand has an abundance of renewable energy that could be used to produce hydrogen, potentially for export, so this cooperation between us and Singapore is significant,” she adds.

“Sharing knowledge about hydrogen, both from its use and deployment through small demonstration projects up to large scale construction, will assist both countries to transform our respective energy and transport sectors,” says Woods, adding that cooperation around research and development of new hydrogen technologies will also create excellent opportunities.

The cooperation agreement is the second hydrogen arrangement signed by New Zealand following the 2018 memorandum with Japan.