MUSCAT: Oman’s first shipment of green ammonia to Europe is expected around this time next year, Eng Salim bin Nasser al Aufi, Minister of Energy and Minerals, announced on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.
Addressing the World Hydrogen Summit 2026, which opened in Rotterdam, Al Aufi said the landmark shipment would mark a significant milestone in Oman’s accelerating transition into the green hydrogen economy. However, he cautioned industry leaders that the sector must scale up more rapidly to achieve global commercial viability.
The planned cargo, which signals the commercialisation of Oman’s nascent green hydrogen industry, will be the first shipment of green ammonia from ACME Group’s project currently under advanced development in Al Duqm. In its first phase, the local subsidiary of India-based ACME is targeting production of around 100,000 tonnes per year of green ammonia for export. The offtaker is Yara International, a leading global fertiliser and industrial solutions provider based in Norway.
Speaking on the theme “Why Oman Is Ready to Scale Hydrogen & Why Speed Now Matters Globally”, Al Aufi warned that current project sizes across the sector remain insufficient to materially reduce costs or establish a globally competitive hydrogen market. He called for stronger international collaboration and faster scaling of projects, stressing that the industry must move decisively from pilot-scale initiatives to full industrial-scale deployment.
Al Aufi also highlighted Oman’s strategic advantages in the emerging hydrogen economy, including abundant renewable energy resources, a strategic geographic position linking Asia and Europe, established energy infrastructure and a supportive regulatory framework aimed at attracting international investment. He reiterated that green hydrogen remains a central pillar of Oman’s long-term economic diversification and decarbonisation strategy.
He further reaffirmed Oman’s ambition to achieve a levelised cost of around $3/kg for green hydrogen, noting that the ACME project in Al Duqm could ultimately scale up to around 1.2 million tonnes per year in its later phases. However, he stressed that achieving this scale will depend on clear, stable and long-term offtake commitments from European buyers, which are currently being impacted by uncertainty surrounding the RFNBO framework.
He also delivered a direct message to EU policymakers, urging them to finalise the RFNBO definition and maintain regulatory stability over a multi-year period, in order to provide the certainty required for projects to reach final investment decisions.
Energy portals further quoted the minister as highlighting the growing potential of liquid hydrogen as a future global energy carrier, suggesting it could eventually emerge as a preferred option for international hydrogen transport.
The minister stressed that the hydrogen sector is entering a more mature phase, shifting from announcements and early-stage ambitions to the practical realities of global trade, infrastructure development and logistics. He noted that the focus is increasingly on transport, storage and end-use applications, underscoring the importance of fully integrated supply chains linking producers with end-users.
Al Aufi was also listed by summit organisers among nominees for the event’s “Person of the Year” recognition, in acknowledgement of his leadership in Oman’s green hydrogen strategy and the Hydrom auction programme.
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