Green Hydrogen: Unlocking the potential in Southeast Asia

Hydrogen is a flexible energy carrier with the potential to address significant energy challenges. Green hydrogen, made from renewable or nuclear energy sources can reduce emissions in hard-to-decarbonise sectors such as long-haul transport, chemicals, and steelmaking. It also has the potential to enhance air quality, strengthen energy security, and support the integration of renewable energy by offering a reliable option for storing power over extended periods.

The ASEAN Center for Energy projects that hydrogen within the ASEAN region “can significantly strengthen the energy security of ASEAN Member States (AMS) by reducing their dependence on fossil fuels imports.” At the same time, we have seen hydrogen demand in Southeast Asia consistently increased over the past decade, from 3.27 million tons per year in 2015 to 3.75 million tons in 2021. Much of this demand comes from the ammonia industry, which accounted for nearly half of the region's hydrogen usage. Several ASEAN countries are now implementing hydrogen strategies to meet their climate goals and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Australia’s Green Hydrogen Vision

Australia’s expansion into new low-emission technologies, fuelled by the need to harness its abundant renewable energy resources, has driven green hydrogen exploration to address challenges faced globally in net zero transformation, particularly for industry, transport, grid firming, chemicals and metals production.

Investing in research and development, policy and planning, troubleshooting the many challenges along the road to establishing a viable green hydrogen pipeline, Australia has made significant strides in this sector, beginning with the release of its first National Hydrogen Roadmap by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in 2018, followed by the National Hydrogen Strategy led by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment, and Water (DCCEEW) in 2019, which was subsequently updated in 2024.

Australia is collaborating with countries across Southeast Asia such as Laos, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam to share key insights from its green hydrogen and ammonia journey with partners such as CSIRO, DCCEEW, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, State Departments and the private sector. This includes domestic initiatives such as: 

• Developing regulatory frameworks to support green hydrogen adoption 
• Establishing regional hydrogen hubs to integrate hydrogen production, usage, and export at specific locations 
• Launching the Hydrogen Headstart Program to fund large-scale hydrogen production projects 

In Southeast Asia, P4I seeks to facilitate knowledge exchange and partnership between Australian hydrogen experts and industry leads to support governments in the region in the early stages of developing their green hydrogen strategies and industry. This includes key factors such as hydrogen production technologies, stimulate market demand, and enhanced cost competitiveness. 

Unlocking the potential in Southeast Asia

One of the most promising partnerships has been with Laos. As part of the Laos-Australia Sustainable Energy Partnership, P4I has supported Laos’s Ministry for Energy and Mines on their ambitious energy transition agenda, including the development of Laos’ National Green Hydrogen and Ammonia Roadmap. This roadmap focuses on utilising surplus hydropower during the wet season to produce green hydrogen, reducing dependence on fossil fuel imports, and boosting local industries like fertilizer production. The roadmap also promotes job creation and economic diversification.

Laos' strategy could serve as a model for other ASEAN nations. It demonstrates how a participatory approach, combined with international collaboration, can accelerate energy transitions while addressing country-specific needs.

This week in Bangkok, we’re hosting a Green Hydrogen Roundtable together with Thailand’s Ministry of Energy (MOEN) and Energy Policy and Planning Office. The roundtable, supported by Australia’s CSIRO and MERFI (Mekong Region Futures Institute), aims to support informed decisions for green hydrogen value chain planning, reforming policies and regulations by identifying the end-use applications appropriate to their context that will help establish markets for green hydrogen.

Collaboration between nations is essential to realising the full potential of green hydrogen. Sharing knowledge, technology, and resources allows countries to overcome common challenges such as high production costs, infrastructure gaps, and market readiness. By working together, countries can accelerate the development of hydrogen technologies, create new markets, and achieve their climate goals more effectively. Partnerships like those between Australia and Southeast Asian nations highlight how joint efforts can drive innovation, build capacity, and unlock opportunities for a cleaner, more sustainable future.