Muscat: The Minister of Energy and Minerals (MEM) said on Tuesday that all necessary infrastructure will be provided to encourage the use of electric (EVs) or hydrogen-fuel vehicles in the country and added some of the promises made at the last year's event have been met.
Speaking at the Green Hydrogen Summit, Eng Salim bin Nasser al Aufi, said, "The Hydrogen Summit held last year in 2021 had helped to boost investor confidence in the hydrogen economy. The government announced the availability of land for hydrogen production in the country."
He said the government has identified main sectors, over the last year, for reducing carbon emissions and meeting the target for net-zero emissions. The sectors are the manufacturing, power, transport, and oil and gas sectors.
On providing the infrastructure for electric vehicles, he said, "We want motorists to be able to move from Muscat to Salalah and back in electric vehicles without worrying about finding stations with charge units.
Hayashi Nobumiso, Governor of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Hayashi Nobumiso, said that Japan has announced a fund to support innovation in the hydrogen sector valued at 2 billion yen.
He said the bank is keen to support hydrogen projects as part of the Japanese government's top priorities and added that it is important to work on providing electric vehicles (EVs) at affordable prices for a wider segment of society.
The private investors’ interest in the hydrogen sector has been encouraging, and all efforts will be made to ensure that the Sultanate of Oman is an ideal hub for its production.
According to Al Aufi, Minister of Energy and Minerals: “We will be talking about the future over the next three days with the aim of making the Sultanate of Oman an international hub for hydrogen production – be it for renewable energy, ammonia for exports, and hydrogen as a replacement to fossil fuels.”
Al Aufi said the focus given to green hydrogen is to create an economy parallel to the oil and gas economy. He added that there had been good participation from local and international companies, which motivates us to move in the right direction.
He added, “We have a vast spread of land for solar and wind plants, while hydrogen production plants can be situated close to local ports with international connections and free zones at Salalah, Duqm, and Suhar. The government will be offering investors incentives for hydrogen projects such as minimum land fee and waiving of land fee during developing stages.
“The initial two blocks provided to investors will be in Duqm outside the free zone, and the remaining four will be offered in Thamrait. For phase 1, the first projects will be awarded by the first quarter of 2023, and developers will be expected to deliver integrated projects, but common infrastructure will be tendered separately.”
The Vice President of Sustainability at Asyad Group said that ports are an incubator for the green economy through free zones and their adjacent areas.
Saud Bahwan Group, which is displaying the hydrogen-fuelled Mirai car at the Green Hydrogen Summit and Exhibition, which kicked off at Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre, said the model has been doing well in Japan since its launch, but its availability will depend on the setting up of related infrastructure.
HYDROGEN ECONOMY
At the Oman-South Korea hydrogen forum, it was revealed that several private companies have started to invest in the hydrogen economy, including big players such as Hyundai.
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