Oman sets up hydrogen alliance

Oman has established a 13-member national council to develop a strategy for hydrogen production, the sultanate's official news agency ONA reported August 12. It said a training and development centre within the nation’s energy ministry established a National Hydrogen Alliance.

“The association seeks to establish solid grounds for the sultanate in the clean hydrogen production map,” its report read.

Hydrogen is emerging as an alternative energy option as part of the effort to transition to a low-carbon future. Developments like so-called green hydrogen, which uses an electrolyser to split water into oxygen and hydrogen, are effectively zero-carbon. The very high cost of production, storage and transport is a major obstacle that requiring government support for the creation of value chains and so on.

Among those supporting the initiative are the local subsidiaries of European majors BP, Royal Dutch Shell and TotalEnergies.

“Oman is in contact with different countries in the world and occupies a prominent place in the global arena due to its climate, strategic geographical location and expertise in leading the shift towards renewable energy green hydrogen,” Oman’s under-secretary of energy Salim Nasir al-Aufi was quoted as saying.

German utility company Uniper in July signed a co-operation agreement with Omani state enterprises to develop green ammonia from green hydrogen.

The first phase is a 250-500 MW green hydrogen facility at Duqm on the Arabian Sea, which is planned to come into operation in 2026 and will respond to the global demand for green hydrogen and its derivatives. It will be built as part of a larger refining and petrochemicals hub under development in Duqm.