Aoteroa New Zealand must embrace what hydrogen has to offer as it is intrinsically linked to reaching decarbonisation targets, according to the New Zealand Hydrogen Council.

The second international H2 2 ZERO Summit will be held at Tākina in Wellington next month with a delegation of more than 300 attendees.

Dr Linda Wright, CEO of the New Zealand Hydrogen Council, said the conference comes hot on the heels of the Government’s $100 million Regional Hydrogen Transition initiative and the release last week of the Government;s Interim Hydrogen Road Map, as well as US investment giant BlackRock’s announcement of a $NZ2 billion renewable energy fund, which will include green hydrogen projects.

Wright said she is not surprised by the international interest in the H2 2 ZERO Summit.

“New Zealand’s abundant renewable energy resources are attractive for the development of green hydrogen and we are seen as a highly attractive country to do business in and to conduct R&D,” she said.

Vice president of Toyota Hydrogen, Andrew Davis, said for Toyota, hydrogen is a part of the company’s global and local electrification strategy.

“New Zealand is in a unique position to be able to reach 100% renewable energy generation and hydrogen will be critical in helping translate that into lower emissions on our roads for commercial transport,” he said.

“Toyota is also looking at other industries, such as the marine or events sectors, and how hydrogen can be used to decarbonise through making technology available like our Hydrogen Generator or Fuel Cell technology.

“Toyota New Zealand is committed to the development of hydrogen in New Zealand to deliver a low emissions future through innovation and showcasing creative technology solutions,” said Davis.

“We are working closely with other highly respected and motivated brands in NZ that share a passion for new technology and exploring new ways to make their business more sustainable with the introduction of hydrogen technology.

“This will ultimately drive NZ’s overall hydrogen ecosystem and we see Toyota and the utilisation of our fuel cell technology as a big part of this.”

The H2 2 ZERO two-day Summit will feature 43 speakers representing a wide range of global organisations at the forefront of delivering hydrogen innovation.

Registrations to the summit are now open.