Frequently asked questions
Renewable gas is produced using natural resources that are constantly replaced and never run out; and produces nominal additional carbon emissions to the atmosphere in its production or use.
Common forms of renewable gas include renewable hydrogen and biomethane both of which can be used for heat in the same way as natural gas is today.
Our demonstration projects show that renewable gas can be produced, blended with natural gas and supplied safely and reliably through the existing gas network.
Biomethane won’t change how your appliances work no matter how much of it you are using.
Appliances will work safely and efficiently on blends of up to 20% hydrogen by volume, with work underway to enable an efficient switch to higher levels of hydrogen that suits our customers’ needs as supply increases in the longer term.
When receiving blends above 20% and up to 100% renewable hydrogen gas, new appliances or burner parts may be required.
100% hydrogen appliances are in development and early stage use throughout Australia and the world today, but at the moment they are a niche product whilst the market establishes itself. Appliance manufacturers are already working on hydrogen ready appliances that can transition from natural gas to hydrogen gas in a similar way to how natural gas appliances can be converted to run on LPG today.
You can still connect to the gas network if you’re building or renovating in any state except Victoria. In Victoria you can still connect to the gas network if your planning permit allows, or if you don’t require a planning permit. There are also restrictions on new gas connections in the ACT.
On average there are approximately 100,000 new gas connections across Australia every year. Connecting to the gas network today provides you the benefits of natural gas – safe, reliable, controllable energy – and a pathway to renewable gas in the near future.
Renewable gas currently costs more to produce than natural gas. We are conscious of making renewable energy as affordable as possible to all Australians, and are working with Governments and business to increase scale and production, develop supply chains and improve technology to decrease the cost of renewable gas. This is similar to other technologies such as renewable electricity and solar panels.
Consistent with this, customers receiving blended renewable gas as part of the Australian Gas Infrastructure Group’s Hydrogen Park South Australia and Hydrogen Park Gladstone projects will pay no more than if they were receiving 100% natural gas.
Today Australia’s energy system relies on diverse sources of energy – natural gas and liquid fuels (petrol and diesel) are used for more than double the energy provided by electricity. It’s important that as we move towards net zero emissions we continue to use diverse sources of energy – if we don’t maintain diversity we risk developing a more costly and less reliable energy system overall.
We are working with industry and governments across Australia to deliver the renewable gas future.
From Australian Gas Infrastructure Group’s perspective, we are delivering demonstration projects.
Hydrogen Park South Australia and Hydrogen Park Gladstone are now delivering volumes of up to 10% renewable hydrogen to thousands of homes and businesses in South Australia and Queensland.
We will then move to large scale blending, targeting a 10% renewable gas blend across our networks by 2030. This includes Hydrogen Park Murray Valley, currently under construction, which will supply up to a 10% hydrogen blend to into the Wodonga and Albury gas network.
Beyond 2030, we aim to increase the blend in existing networks from 10% to 20% renewable gas, with of the ambition of transitioning to 100% renewable and carbon neutral gas by 2050. For networks where it delivers the best outcome for our customers, this could mean supplying up to 100% renewable gas.
While biomethane can be seamlessly introduced without requiring changes to existing gas appliances, appliances may need to be upgraded for hydrogen blends exceeding 20%. We are proactively working with appliance manufacturers to ensure this transition is as smooth and convenient as possible for our customers.
Renewable gas is already being delivered to some parts of Australia via small scale demonstration projects, with more projects under development and planning as we target net zero carbon in line with Australia’s commitments.
With this in mind, we hope to be supplying you with renewable gas in the future, but like renewable electricity, supportive government policy and frameworks will be required for large scale roll out.
Business and industrial customers can be confident that their connection to the gas network will provide them with the energy they require and that industry is striving to also help them transition to a low carbon future.
Businesses and industrial customers will be able to use 100% biomethane just like they use natural gas today with no changes to their existing operation, this has and continues to be done successfully around the world.
We are committed to engaging with the community. When renewable gas projects are developed in your area we will let you know well in advance to ensure any questions you may have are answered.
MasterChef Australia
MasterChef Australia is taking a new approach to ‘cooking with gas’ by using biomethane in the kitchen and renewable hydrogen gas for special use.
It’s a practical demonstration of a low carbon solution that can be delivered by existing gas networks to support Australia’s transition to net zero.
Together with experts in the gas industry we are showcasing what the future of cooking could look like.
Renewable gas is in its early days, but we are working on many projects around Australia to “blend/ mix” it with natural gas in select parts of our network. AGIG’s aim is to have net-zero carbon emissions and 100% renewable and carbon neutral gas across its networks by 2050.
This season MasterChef Australia is taking a new approach to ‘cooking with gas’ with a world-first partnership for the franchise using biomethane in the kitchen and renewable hydrogen gas for special use.
It’s a practical demonstration of a low carbon solution that can be delivered by existing gas networks to support Australia’s transition to net zero.
Together with experts in the gas industry we are showcasing what the future of cooking could look like.
Renewable gas is in its early days, but we are working on many projects around Australia to “blend/ mix” it with natural gas in select parts of our network. AGIG’s aim is to have net-zero carbon emissions and 100% renewable and carbon neutral gas across its networks by 2050.
Renewable gas is currently only available for purchase by commercial and industrial gas consumers through buying renewable gas certificates, and is not yet available for direct purchase by consumers in the retail market.
We are excited about getting renewable gas to our customers as quickly as possible, but transitioning the entire Australian network is a big task.
A range of small scale demonstration projects are underway across Australia, blending renewable hydrogen and biomethane into the natural gas network in select locations.
AGIG is targeting a volume of 10% renewable and carbon neutral gas in its distribution networks by 2030, and net zero by 2050.
It took a great partnership of industry peers to bring this project to life:
AGN/AGIG are the lead project partner with Network 10 and MasterChef
Jemena supplied the biomethane produced at their Malabar facility.
Solstice Energy (formally TasGas) transported the biomethane from Malabar to the Melbourne Showgrounds and provided the gas storage infrastructure on site for storing the biomethane on set using their existing natural gas transport system (biomethane has same properties as natural gas).
Pacific Energy (ENGV) is the main contractor of Solstice Energy. In this instance, they’re experts in gas storage transport and even hydrogen transport and storage with decades of experience.
Bourke Plumbing completed the gas fitting line that connects the biomethane storage to the individual cooktops. Previously MasterChef ran on LPG bottles, so we installed fitting lines so gas could be piped directly to each benchtop. Biomethane and even hydrogen don’t require specialised fitting lines or equipment and is within the existing skillset of licenced plumbers and gas fitters. The fitting line at MasterChef was constructed to existing standards and was inspected and approved by the technical regulator ESV (Energy Safe Victoria).
ATCO supplied green hydrogen (otherwise known as renewable hydrogen) for special use. Made using renewable electricity (such as wind and solar), renewable hydrogen emits no carbon emission when used for heat.
This year the hydrogen used on MasterChef is renewable.
ATCO supplied green hydrogen (otherwise known as renewable hydrogen) for special use. Made using renewable electricity (such as wind and solar), renewable hydrogen emits no carbon emission when used for heat.
Cooktops in the MasterChef Kitchen
Renewable gas – Biomethane. Biomethane can be a direct substitute for natural gas. No changes required to appliances or fittings.
When the cooktops are taken offsite, they’ll be retrofitted to LPG which is not a renewable gas.
100% hydrogen appliances will also feature – keep an eye out.
Although minor activity in the scope of the project, we undertook to fully offset emissions associated with the transport and handling through the procurement and surrender of carbon offset credits.
Biomethane doesn’t contribute any additional carbon emissions to the atmosphere when burnt for heat, converted to electricity or used as a vehicle fuel. This is because the carbon, in the form of methane, that would have otherwise been released into the atmosphere is re-used as a source of renewable energy.
Not at all – most people either don’t notice a different, or quickly forget they’re cooking on renewable gas. Everyone knows there’s some things only the flame can do, and renewable gases mean we can keep enjoying it.
Use of Renewable gases in homes and businesses is being trialed and developed all around the country, including projects in SA, VIC, QLD, NSW and WA where renewable gases are being incrementally blended with natural gas and supplied to homes and businesses. We are committed to ultimately replacing natural gas with renewable gases, in line with federal government targets to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest. It also aligns to MasterChef’s focus on sustainability and ‘low waste’ practices in and out of the kitchen by using renewable gases to power their cooktops.
Biomethane
Biomethane is a renewable gas derived from biogas, which can be sourced from various forms of organic material such as green waste, food industry byproducts, agricultural residues and industrial waste.
Biomethane is essentially interchangeable with natural gas and can be used in existing gas networks and appliances without modification, but, in contrast to fossil fuels, it’s a renewable resource that doesn’t contribute any further carbon emissions. When biomethane is used, it releases only the carbon dioxide that was absorbed from the air by organic matter (like plants). This makes biomethane an effective and sustainable source of energy that helps to reduce carbon emissions of homes, businesses and industry.
Today in Australia, biogas is largely used to generate electricity or is flared (meaning it is being burnt off). There is significant opportunity to upgrade biogas into biomethane and supply it via existing gas distribution networks, making it easy for customers to reduce their carbon emissions without changes to infrastructure or appliances.
Biomethane is derived from Biogas which is produced from plant or animal waste. A process called anaerobic digestion is used, whereby waste is retained in tanks without oxygen. These tanks include micro-organisms (like those found in the stomach of ruminant animals), which digest the waste to produce biogas. Biogas can be processed to remove the carbon dioxide, producing biomethane. Biomethane can be fed directly into the gas network and used in the same way as natural gas, to provide heat to homes and businesses.
Renewable hydrogen
Hydrogen is the simplest and most common element in the universe and can be used as a carrier of energy.
Renewable hydrogen can be produced using a few methods, most commonly by electrolysis using renewable electricity – in the simplest terms, if you run an electrical current through water it separates into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen can then be captured and used for cooking and heating in a similar way to natural gas.
When used as energy, renewable hydrogen primarily emits heat and water vapour.
Hydrogen is colourless, non-toxic and is an excellent carrier of energy. It can also be delivered to homes and businesses through existing gas networks at minor incremental cost, so there’s no need to buy or build expensive new infrastructure.
Similar to natural gas, hydrogen can be used for heating, hot water and cooking appliances like your oven, cooktop or barbeque. It’s considered a fuel of the future as it has a low impact on the environment by emitting nominal carbon emissions when burned for heat.
While there are a number of ways to make it, there is significant momentum around supplying Australia with hydrogen produced by an electrolyser. Water is pumped into the electrolyser, where it’s separated into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity.
This process is called electrolysis – and while it might sound futuristic – it’s not new at all!
By using renewable electricity (electricity generated from wind and solar), this process does not cause the release any additional carbon emissions, which is better for the environment.
Once produced, the hydrogen is blended with natural gas, placed into existing gas networks.