South Australia has signed a historic agreement with the US state of California to collaborate on advancing renewable and hydrogen technology.
SA Premier Peter Malinauskas signed the letter of cooperation with California’s Acting Governor Eleni Kounalakis in Sacramento on Wednesday.
Both states have pledged to work together on developing world-leading renewable and hydrogen projects, integrating renewable energy into their grids, and supporting decarbonisation across buildings, industry and transport.
“South Australia and California have many shared interests – we both enjoy a Mediterranean climate, we have shared values and we both have ambitions to lead the world in decarbonisation,” Malinauskas said.
“We are both already leaders in our respective nations when it comes to renewable energy, and we both share a commitment to advance clean hydrogen technology.
“It just makes sense that two global leaders in renewable energy like South Australia and California should work together to advance our shared interests in clean energy.”
The cooperation will span areas like large-scale renewables and storage, zero-emission vehicles, climate adaptation, critical mineral supply chains and low-carbon technology research.
An exchange of best practices around regulations, standards and policies to enable a clean hydrogen industry is also planned.
Like South Australia’s recent hydrogen power plant planned for Whyalla, California was recently selected as a $1.2 billion National Hydrogen Hub by the US Department of Energy.
“Today’s landmark partnership between California and South Australia is another example of our unwavering commitment to combatting our climate crisis,” Kounalakis said.
California is the world’s fifth-largest economy with a $3.9 trillion GDP, compared to Australia’s $1.7 trillion.
Both states have achieved periods of 100 per cent renewable energy supply.
“Climate action requires collaboration and the sharing of successes and ideas, which is why the partnerships between South Australia and California is an important step,” Liane Randolph, chair of the California Air Resources Board said.
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