One of Australia's oldest industrial hubs is reinventing itself as a renewable energy centre. The federal government has begun the process of planning the second offshore wind farm zone in New South Wales: in the Illawarra. As the region also welcomes a cutting-edge technology, set to dramatically alter heavy industry.
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00:00 The Energy Minister came to the Illawarra with a new vision for the Coal Coast.
00:07 Today I'm announcing the beginning of public consultation about the Illawarra's offshore wind zone.
00:12 It's one of six regions across Australia identified for offshore wind.
00:17 The proposed zone covers almost 1500 square kilometres, from the northern suburbs of Wollongong to just south of Kiama.
00:26 It's expected to generate enough energy to power 3.4 million homes and create more than 1200 ongoing jobs.
00:35 Areas like Illawarra will be at the centre of Australia's future as a renewable energy export powerhouse.
00:42 And a local business has secured federal government support to help turn water into energy.
00:48 Hisata is an electrolyser company and an electrolyser is the device that splits water, H2O, into hydrogen and oxygen.
00:56 Hisata has developed a way to do that in a really energy efficient manner.
01:01 In fact we use 20% less energy than any incumbent electrolyser today.
01:06 The Australian company has opened its new factory in Port Kembla.
01:10 The company behind this technology believes it could be the key to decarbonising heavy industry
01:15 and turn Australia into a global player in the development of green hydrogen.
01:20 To some extent it will be as an energy carrier, taking renewable electricity, solar and wind,
01:25 converting it into hydrogen to store it and then reuse it later on as a fuel.
01:30 A Queensland power station will receive one of Hisata's first electrolysers in 2025.
01:37 But the goal is to use them to create steel, removing the carbon from one of the world's most energy intensive industries.
01:45 trees.
01:45 [BLANK_AUDIO]