The Centre of Decommissioning Australia (CODA), the University of Western Australia (UWA) and the UK’s Teesside University’s Net Zero Industry Innovation Centre (NZIIC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the establishment of a Western Australia Industry Transformation Hub.
The proposed WA Industry Transformation Hub will unite academic expertise, industry leadership and government support to drive innovation in decarbonisation and local manufacturing.
It also marks the latest collaboration between Australia and the UK in the drive towards decarbonisation, which includes the decommissioning of ageing oil and gas infrastructure, among other areas.
The latest MoU brings together expertise from both sides to support Western Australia’s industrial transition to net zero, aligning with a number of Australian government priorities including decarbonisation and the LNG Jobs Taskforce.
“This hub’s focus advances the WA CCUS [carbon capture, utilisation and storage] Action Plan vision of establishing a world-leading CCUS industry to decarbonise heavy industries while supporting economic diversification,” said CODA’s chief executive, Francis Norman.
“It also supports the Made in WA agenda by building local advanced manufacturing capability and skilled jobs, keeping WA at the forefront of global market shifts through strong industry support and innovation infrastructure,” said Norman.
The new ‘hub’ will focus on three core research themes:
Industrial emissions reduction: targeting heavy industries such as oil and gas, mining and cement, developing and deploying CCUS technologies in collaboration with industrial centres like Kwinana and the Pilbara.
Circular economy: supporting the Made in WA agenda, the hub will promote advanced manufacturing, industrial waste recycling and life-cycle design to grow WA’s circular economy.
Knowledge exchange: a joint governance model will embed international collaboration, with NZIIC and WA industry representatives guiding strategic direction to ensure alignment with the state’s Diversify WA priorities.
Each of the MoU partners brings unique strengths to the collaboration: CODA’s extensive Australian and international decommissioning networks, UWA’s track record of supporting Australian industry with applied research, and NZIIC’s strong research base and industrial partnerships in the UK.
Professor Hélène de Burgh-Woodman, Pro Vice Chancellor (Research Training) at UWA said: “The international network established by this MoU will provide a springboard to deliver innovation not just in net zero technologies themselves, but in their process of discovery.”
Earlier in the year, another UK-Australia MoU saw Global Underwater Hub (GUH) and Subsea Innovation Cluster Australia (SICA) team up to pursue subsea opportunities, including decommissioning, across both hemispheres.
