APA, Australia's largest natural gas infrastructure company, owning and operating natural gas assets at home and abroad, announced a landmark hydrogen pilot project to enable the proposed conversion of 43-km of Parmelia Gas Pipeline in Western Australia into Austrailia's first 100 percent hydrogen-ready transmission pipeline.

The pilot project is APA’s first project under its Pathfinder Program – a new initiative that will help unlock energy solutions of the future – and would make the Parmelia Gas Pipeline one of only a few existing gas transmission pipelines in the world, 100 per cent hydrogen-ready.

APA Group Chief Executive and Managing Director, Rob Wheals said: “As a proud Australian business, APA is excited to be bringing international best practice to Australia in this national first, which we expect will test and prove the capacity of the existing gas transmission pipeline network to transport hydrogen in pure form or blended with natural gas.

What is happening now in Australia is, in many respects, a snapshot of what will happen in the rest of the world in the foreseeable future -- the conversion of natural gas pipelines into either pure hydrogen pipelines or those carrying a combination of hydrogen and natural gas.

Subject to proving the pipeline is hydrogen-ready, APA will need to consider ongoing work in conjunction with potential producers and customers to understand the infrastructure and connection requirements to commission the pipeline as a hydrogen service.

The launch of the Parmelia Gas Pipeline pilot project follows APA’s continued progress towards a sustainable future, including APA’s ambition to achieve net zero operations emissions by 2050.