Cooper Basin region: Hydrogen potential package

Created 17/10/2025

Updated 17/10/2025

The potential for hydrogen production in the Cooper Basin region is assessed to provide a joint information base for hydrogen generation potential from renewable energy, groundwater, and natural gas coupled with carbon capture and storage (CCS). Hydrogen generation requires water, whether using electrolysis with renewable energy or steam methane reforming (SMR) of gas with CCS. The data package includes the regional renewable energy capacity factor, aquifers and their properties (potential yield, salinity, and reserves or storativity), and geological storage potential of carbon dioxide (CO2). This data guide gives examples of how the compiled data can be used. The renewable hydrogen potential is assessed based on renewable energy capacity factor and groundwater information (potential yield, salinity, and reserves or storativity). Three aquifers from overlying basins (Eromanga and Lake Eyre basins) are included in the assessment. The Cooper Basin region has high renewable hydrogen potential. The presence of good aquifer throughout the basin combined with high renewable energy capacity factor resulted in significant areas with high hydrogen potential. The Cooper Basin has significant hydrocarbon resources, primarily for gas (Geoscience Australia, 2022). Although most known hydrocarbon resources have depleted since production began in the 1960s (Smith et al., 2015), a large amount of gas remains, including conventional gas (1,058 PJ reserves and 1,598 PJ resources) and unconventional basin-centred gas (2,265 PJ resources). An assessment in the overlying Eromanga Basin suggests that most areas over the Cooper Basin are prospective for potential CO2 geological storage (Bradshaw et al., 2023). Further work on identifying detailed gas potential is needed to assess hydrogen generation potential from SMR coupled with CCS.

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Field Value
Title Cooper Basin region: Hydrogen potential package
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/d296d529-2ac0-4e9c-8ab0-53a8577181b8
Contact Point
Geoscience Australia Data
clientservices@ga.gov.au
Reference Period 08/04/2019
Geospatial Coverage
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
{
  "coordinates": [
    [
      [
        138.0,
        -30.0
      ],
      [
        145.0,
        -30.0
      ],
      [
        145.0,
        -23.0
      ],
      [
        138.0,
        -23.0
      ],
      [
        138.0,
        -30.0
      ]
    ]
  ],
  "type": "Polygon"
}
Data Portal Geoscience Australia

Data Source

This dataset was originally found on Geoscience Australia "Cooper Basin region: Hydrogen potential package". Please visit the source to access the original metadata of the dataset:
https://ecat.ga.gov.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/csw/dataset/cooper-basin-region-hydrogen-potential-package