MELBOURNE, May 27 Reuters Germany wants to speed up its green hydrogen work with Australia as the country39;s effort to ditch fossil fuels has become more urgent after Russia39;s invasion of Ukraine, Germany39;s research minister said on Friday.

The Ukraine war, which Moscow calls a special operation, has highlighted the reliance of Germany and the Europe Union on Russian fossil fuels and turned energy security into a major issue for many countries around the world.

These days, due to the horrible war of aggression from Russia on Ukraine, the pressure to become independent from fossil fuels has become more prominent and more urgent, Minister for Education and Research Bettina StarkWatzinger said in an interview.

Germany and Australia last year signed a deal to create a renewable energybased supply chain between the two countries as part of Berlin39;s efforts to develop environmentallyfriendly hydrogen. 

As Germany39;s green hydrogen demand cannot be met domestically, it is seeking partnerships overseas to secure imports.

The goal is to reach commercial scale production of green hydrogen by 2030 if not sooner, initially to feed Germany39;s steel industry, StarkWatzinger told Reuters.

I think once we get started and the process gets momentum, it could be earlier than that, said StarkWatzinger, who is on a fourday trip across Australia to discuss hydrogen projects with researchers and companies, including two of Australia39;s biggest commodities exporters Woodside…