Australian Woodside Petroleum is investigating all hydrogen and ammonia possibilities, whether blue hydrogen, which uses natural gas as a fuel source, or green hydrogen, which is derived from renewable energy.
Woodside has signed many agreements to pursue hydrogen development projects, all of which are in the early stages due to the difficult economics of creating blue or green hydrogen or ammonia.
In response to investor demand for oil and gas producers to demonstrate an energy transition strategy as well as a commitment to achieving zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the coming decades, the majority of Australia’s key upstream producers have adopted hydrogen and ammonia strategies over the last 12 months.
Woodside is also dedicated to decreasing GHG emissions from its operations, which include scope one and two GHG emissions produced directly from the extraction of natural gas, oil, and associated liquids, as well as fuel utilized in everyday operations.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the oil and gas sector emitted around 70 million tonnes of methane or approximately 2.1 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) in 2020, accounting for approximately 5% of worldwide energy-related GHG emissions. Under the IEA’s sustainable development scenario, where the average rise in global temperatures is limited to 1.65°C over the pre-industrial average, emissions from this sector will need to decline to roughly 20mn t/yr by 2030, a drop of more than 70% from levels in 2020.
As part of its efforts to reach net-zero GHG emissions by 2050, Woodside intends to cut its scope one and two GHG emissions by 30% by 2030 compared to its 2016-20 baseline average. In calendar 2020, Woodside had scope one GHG emissions of 3.6 million tonnes of CO2e.
