Oman qualifies to be a regional green fuel hub

In January this year, bp and Oman partnered to make progress on the integrated project, which will include onshore wind, solar and green hydrogen production, in support of Oman’s 2040 Vision. As part of the agreement, bp will capture and evaluate solar and wind data from 8,000km2 of land – an areas more then five times the size of Greater London. The evaluation will then support the government of Oman in approving the future developments of renewable energy hubs at suitable locations within this area to take advantage of these resources.

Earlier this week, Australian engineering company Worley, which provides project and asset services in the energy, chemicals, and resources sectors, was contracted to carry out a concept feasibility study to develop and challenge GEO’s green hydrogen energy project.

Green hydrogen is expected to grow into a US$2.5 trillion market by 2050. Demand comes from the shipping sector, which requires green ammonia for its significant decarbonization needs, the aviation sector, which will utilise synthetic fuels made from green hydrogen, parts of the ground transportation sector, such as rail and trucking, which are expected to adopt green hydrogen as a fuel source, as well as heavy industry located in areas such as North West Europe that will use green hydrogen to fuel their industrial processes including the production of steel.

Further, power companies across East Asia with a legacy reliance on coal and gas are planning to transition to green ammonia in order to reduce their carbon emissions.

In addition to defining the project components, the Worley study will identity opportunities to enhance in-country value delivered from the expected 10-year project implementation period. This includes employment and development for Omani nationals and value adds through local manufacturing and supply by Oman’s companies across the supply chain.