We have a lot to do. We must do it together, and with leadership. We are stepping up our leadership, recognising the size of the task ahead of us, both in terms of coordination and advocacy on behalf of the industry.Kane Thornton Clean Energy Council CEO
The APAC Offshore Wind & Green Hydrogen Summit is a three-day global conference featuring more than 100 speakers from government, the private sector and civil society. The conference took place over 29–31 August 2023 at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre (MCEC).
Representing Australia at the summit were four of the Clean Energy Council's top leaders and policy experts.
Kane Thornton (Clean Energy Council CEO) delivered the opening plenary speech on day one of the summit; watch Kane's message below.
Anna Freeman (Policy Director, Decarbonisation) skillfully moderated the panel discussion 'Part 2: The Global Race for Green Hydrogen.' Insights flowed as Catherine Zerger, Shashi Barla, Kobad Bhavnagri, and Shohan Seneviratne shared their expertise. Anna explored the key drivers, challenges, and competitive opportunities in the green hydrogen and derivatives sectors, and sparked engaging dialogues with thought-provoking questions:
- How competitive is our landscape today?
- What are the key challenges for green hydrogen? Is there hesitation for customers to take action?
- First Nations engagement, and social licence and more.
Anna and fellow panelists discussed how a green hydrogen strategy is shaping industrial policy in different countries, and where policy settings are succeeding or falling short for green hydrogen to take off.
Watch Anna's recap of the session below.
With her deep expertise in offshore supply chains, the Clean Energy Council's Morgan Rossiter moderated the panel discussion, 'Australia's Role in Driving Offshore Wind Growth in the Asia Pacific Region', another expertly run session with a focus on supply chains and the need for strong government leadership to drive offshore wind in Australia.
Morgan kept the conservations flowing along with panelists Matthew Dickie (RWE), Fernando Santamaria (Iberdrola), Henriette Holm (Orsted Australia), Eric Antoons (Parkwind) and Danny Nielsen (Vestas). Morgan’s succinct final question, 'What should we pause, stop and start', really had the panelists thinking.
Watch Morgan's key takeaways from day two of the summit in the video below.
It's an extraordinary moment for Australia's future, and I look forward to working with our members to unlock the enormous opportunity for offshore wind in Australia.MORGAN ROSSITER Senior Policy Officer, Clean Energy Council
Nick Aberle, Director, Energy Generation and Storage at the Clean Energy Council, led the final session at the APAC Offshore Wind & Green Hydrogen Summit, with industry leaders discussing support for local communities' economic growth. Industry leaders on the panel were Josh Pearl from Iberdrola, Nam Quach from Skyborn Renewables, and Naomi Campbell from Energise Renewables.
The session addressed community engagement with offshore wind projects, and combating misinformation. The panel stressed the importance of proactive, transparent communication to build trust and maintain a strong relationship with local residents.
As Nick put it: "Social licence is not a driver's licence; it's about maintaining a relationship."
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