CONRAD PRABHU
MUSCAT, JAN 22
A first-ever taxi service operating on hydrogen-powered cars will be launched in the Sultanate of Oman during the current year, the Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, Eng Said Hamoud al Maawali, announced here on Wednesday.
Addressing the annual media briefing, Al Maawali said the new service – featuring an initial fleet of 15 vehicles – will operate from Muscat International Airport. Importantly, the initiative will be rolled out in conjunction with the opening of the first hydrogen fuel station, currently under construction in the proximity of the airport, with the support of the Ministry of Energy and Minerals and the Civil Aviation Authority.
Both launches are a key part of the Transport Ministry’s green mobility strategy, espousing the progressive adoption of zero-carbon or other sustainable fuels for transportation purposes in the Sultanate, the Minister said. Green mobility options encompass not only hydrogen fuel powered vehicles, but also Electric Vehicles, and other types of vehicles powered by biodiesel and clean fuels.
All 15 vehicles will be provided by Oman Shell as part of its ‘Green Hydrogen for Mobility’ project, first announced in 2022 during an agreement signed with Oman Airports.
Hydrogen fuel for the new taxi fleet will come from a first-of-its-kind green hydrogen refueling station slated for launch before the end of this year. The facility, also financed by Oman Shell as part of its ‘Green Hydrogen for Mobility’ project, will boast a daily production capacity of 130 kg of green hydrogen molecules. Land for the refueling station has been allocated by the Civil Aviation Authority.
Meanwhile, Saudi-based Hydrogen Systems, a leader in hydrogen technology, is undertaking the construction of the facility as part of a contract award from Shell Oman Marketing Company SAOG, to operate and maintain the hydrogen refueling station.
The station will include a 120kW solar energy system to power the site’s facilities, five fast-charging electric vehicle points, a water recycling system designed to utilise wastewater for landscape irrigation, and a vapour recovery system designed to reduce up to 99 per cent of hydrocarbon emissions. When operational, the facility is set to be the first Shell station in the world to have a hydrogen production plant on site.
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