March 24, 2026
Mr Alex Dronoff, Chair of the Hunter Hydrogen Taskforce and former Chief Executive Officer of Fichtner Australia, delivered the sixth in the Society’s lunchtime series of Provocations and Inspirations on the topic of ‘The Renewable Hydrogen Journey 2015–2026 and Opportunities Beyond‘ to an audience of approximately 40 members of the Society and the Union, University and Schools Club (UUSC) at the UUSC on Tuesday, 24 March 2026. This session was the first in this year’s lunchtime talk on the theme of ‘A Future made in Australia.’
Alex Dronoff’s presentation on renewable hydrogen in Australia was framed as a personal ‘journey’. Alex referred to his background with Shell, BOC and Linde and argued the case for ‘why renewable hydrogen and why Australia’, linking it to COP21 commitments and Australia’s resource advantages (sun, wind), a stable political system, plus decarbonisation opportunities in steel, fertiliser/ammonia and other industries.
His talk reviewed milestones including the CSIRO 2018 hydrogen roadmap and subsequent national strategy work, and then shifted to what has happened since the 2021 hydrogen ‘euphoria.’ Alex discussed the contraction in project numbers and credibility, citing major companies (e.g., Shell and BP) stepping back, policy shifts affecting momentum, and the influence of incentives such as the US Inflation Reduction Act and Australia’s subsequent response.
A major focus of current activity is Australia’s Hydrogen Headstart program (about $2B), which Alex described as providing operational support to bridge the cost gap between current production costs (around $6/kg) and customers’ willingness to pay (around $2/kg). The speaker highlighted a few more credible projects moving forward (including large-scale export proposals), while emphasising that high electricity and electrolyser costs remain key barriers to scaling for the industry. A lively Q&A session followed.
A gallery of images from the occasion is available for viewing and downloading, and a recording of this presentation is available on our YouTube channel.
