Energy_Transition

'Oman aims to build a hydrogen-centric economy by 2040, with 30GW of green and blue H2'

Local official reveals details of forthcoming national hydrogen strategy, which is due to be published in the coming weeks

Sunset in the sunny Dhofar region of southern Oman.
Sunset in the sunny Dhofar region of southern Oman.Austrian Space Forum/Flickr
Oman is planning to build a hydrogen-centric economy by 2040, with an annual production capacity of green and blue H2, according to a local official helping to formulate the sultanate’s national hydrogen strategy.

“The potential for clean hydrogen, including the green and blue versions, is around 1GW by 2025, 10GW by 2030 and around 30GW by 2040 — this is how we see the growth of hydrogen in Oman,” said Abullah al Abri, head of Energy Renewal, a unit of the country’s leading oil & gas producer, Petroleum Development Oman.

“This growth will be explained and reflected in the [national] hydrogen strategy that will be published towards the end of this year,” al Abri added, speaking at a webinar hosted by the Ministry of Energy and the Italian embassy in Oman.

Energy Renewal has been tasked with crafting the national hydrogen strategy, according to local English-language newspaper Oman Daily Observer.
Coastal areas in southern Oman have the combination of strong winds and high solar irradiation that many developers believe would be ideal to produce green hydrogen at an ultra-low price — allowing electrolysers (which split water molecules into H2 and oxygen) to work around the clock, powered by cheap renewable energy.
Several gigawatt-scale green hydrogen projects have already been announced in the country, including a 14GW facility powered by 25GW of wind and solar being developed by InterContinental Energy, Omani oil & company OQ, and Kuwaiti state-owned tech company EnerTech.
Indian renewables developer ACME also plans to build one of the world’s largest green ammonia projects at Oman’s Port of Duqm, using hydrogen electrolysers powered by 3GW of solar and 500MW of wind power.

Another high-profile project is Hyport Duqm — a partnership between OQ, Germany’s Uniper and Belgium’s DEME, which aims to build a green hydrogen/ammonia facility at Duqm, powered by 1.3GW of renewable energy.

And the 400MW SalalaH2 green hydrogen/ammonia project was announced for the coastal city of Salalah in October by co-developers OQ, industrial gases company Linde and the Dubai Transport Company, powered by about 1GW of wind and solar.

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Published 23 November 2021, 16:30Updated 23 November 2021, 16:30
OmanMiddle East