Australia is in the midst of a “hydrogen rush” with iron ore...

Australia is in the midst of a “hydrogen rush” with iron ore billionaire Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue Future Industries pushing ahead with ambitious plans to produce hydrogen and “green steel” and traditional energy suppliers such as Shell, Woodside Energy pressing ahead with their own more measured plans.AdvertisementTrading giant Trafigura, AGL Energy, Macquarie Group, Jemena, and Woodside Petroleum are also among those pursuing hydrogen projects.The agreement – ratified at a signing ceremony held jointly in Australia and Japan on Tuesday – will see the two companies jointly develop the project, with Osaka Gas helping with project management, engineering and technical support, identifying customers and negotiating sales of hydrogen and equipment purchasing.Aqua Aerem chief executive officer Gerard Reiter said Desert Bloom Hydrogen was the “most advanced, shovel-ready green hydrogen project in Australia” and Osaka Gas’s support was an endorsement of the project and its air-to-water technology, which enables green hydrogen projects to be located in the sunniest, driest areas of the planet.