State players to drive Oman’s hydrogen economy

The numerous roles that various state-owned organisations in Oman would play in the nation’s recently disclosed mega-scale hydrogen value chain have been described by the Ministry of Energy and Minerals.

In order to fulfil the Omani government’s objective to achieve Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050, the country’s future hydrogen economy is expected to take on a total of four different functions.

The Ministry will take the lead in developing the nation’s green hydrogen strategy and the supporting regulations in its capacity as Policymaker & Regulator.

The recently founded state-owned hydrogen-centric corporation, Hydrogen Oman (Hydrom), a subsidiary of Energy Development Oman, has been given a significant role. In its capacity as “Orchestrator,” Hydrom is responsible for, among other things, managing the common infrastructure, developing and awarding land concessions, coordinating product offtake with investors and markets, coordinating with utilities (power, water, and gas networks), and collaborating with the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ).

Hydrom will play a part in the creation and administration of the transportation and storage infrastructure associated with the green hydrogen industry in addition to acting as the “Orchestrator” of the sector.

OQ Networks, which owns and manages the nation’s gas network, Majis Industrial Services (MIS), the state-owned integrated water utility, Marafiq Oman, a centralised utility provider, and Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC), a unit of Nama Group, are all expected to play additional roles.

The developer will invest in the upstream renewable energy-based power generation component, the midstream electrolyser facilities, and the downstream production of hydrogen or its derivatives in addition to financing the project. All hydrogen projects created in Oman are anticipated to be represented by the government by OQ Alternative Energy, a completely owned division of OQ Group.

The marine transportation of green ammonia and other hydrogen-based derivatives that will develop from this young business will be handled by Asyad Shipping, a subsidiary of the state-owned Asyad Group.

By 2050, the Ministry projects that cumulative investments in Oman’s green hydrogen economy will amount to over RO 54 billion. This will include the vast sums of expenditures required for the essential infrastructure gear, such as solar panels, wind turbines, electrolysers, derivative synthesis systems, storage, water, transport, and water desalination.