Norway competing with Australia to fulfil Japan's hydrogen society dream

Tokyo

Norway and Australia are racing each other to show they can supply Japan with hydrogen, hoping to fulfil its ambition to become the first nation significantly fuelled by the super-clean energy source.

While Australia has planned to derive liquid hydrogen from brown coal for some time, Norway could steal a march if a pilot project producing the fuel using renewable energy - a climate-friendly method more in keeping with Japan's aims - is cheaper.

Japan is betting heavily on becoming a "hydrogen society" despite the high costs and technical difficulties which have gener…