MUSCAT, DEC 1
Oman Minister of Energy and Minerals, Eng Salim bin Nasser al Aufi, stated that Oman is ready for the hydrogen transition despite what he described as a global “reality check” for the sector.
Speaking at the 4th Green Hydrogen Summit Oman (GHSO), Al Aufi addressed what he described the “dying hype” around hydrogen. “We are meeting today at a critical junction for the hydrogen economy. The global aspirations — or the hype, so-called at some point — is now settling down into something a little bit more concrete... It’s called realism, or a reality check. We are seeing a lot of hype and now we’re seeing that hype curve flatten and steadily progress into something a little bit more realistic”, he said.
Sharing his perspective on the current global landscape, he added: “The market is challenging the cost, the market is challenging the supply chain, the market is challenging the regulation and the market, of course, is also challenging the form of derivative or the type of molecules that will be transported and consumed. All of which are legitimate challenges”.
He further added: “Some people are calling this a slow-down. In my dictionary, this is maturing — an economy that is moving very fast and maturing in its own right, already fast enough. And we need this in order to understand why the energy transition takes a long time and how what we’re seeing today is not really a slow-down, but, in its own right, a very fast transition: from hype to maturity to getting projects moving”.
According to the official, major energy transitions have historically taken decades to materialise. In comparison, hydrogen does not have that luxury, he said, noting that today’s slowdown is simply a pause to plan better, not a reversal.
“I think this so-called slowness is a very fast realisation that hype is not going to get us where we want. We need realism. We need markets. We need global collaboration in order to make this energy become the energy of choice — and it is already moving”.
In concluding, Al Aufi reaffirmed Oman’s readiness to advance to the next stage. “Oman is ready. The framework is ready. Our national champions are ready. And if I look around this room, so are all the partners we’ve been talking to from all over the world. I think the world is also ready. We just need to get the first few projects off the ground and demonstrate to everybody that hydrogen is coming — and it’s a matter of time, a very short time, before hydrogen becomes the energy of choice before we do anything else”, he shared.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
