Osaka Gas, a Japanese gas company based in Osaka and operating roughly 56,500-km of gas pipelines in Japan as well as engaging in upstream, midstream and downstream energy projects throughout the world, has agreed to contribute project management, engineering and technical support for the $11 billion Desert Bloom Green Hydrogen.  This massive project will use a unique technology to suck water out of the air and solar power to split the water to make green hydrogen — hydrogen generated by renewable energy — in the Northern Territory's desert.

Desert Bloom will start small, using Australian-based Aqua Aerem's 2-megawatt production units, which the company says can generate water from the air, and produce heat, renewable electricity and green hydrogen, eventually targeting 410,000 tonnes a year of hydrogen for local use and exports.

"We may invest in the project in the future, but there is no concrete investment plan from our end now," a spokesperson at the Japanese utility said, adding it will provide technical support by leveraging its expertise in gas production and hydrogen-related businesses.

“Desert Bloom will be on track to produce green hydrogen at an export price international customers want to pay - less than $2/kg within five years,” Aqua Aerem Chairman David Green said in a statement.