Muscat: Gulf Leaders Circle, Muscat Media Group’s GCC-wide business networking platform, recently met with Dr. Firas Al-Abduwani, Director General of Renewable Energy and Hydrogen at the Ministry of Energy and Minerals. Dr. Firas is responsible for shaping and implementing the public policies that support Oman’s transition to a low-carbon economy. He speaks to GLC about short-term and long-term goals for Oman, as a green-hydrogen hub, as the world looks to transition to cleaner energy. Q. Can you please share how your industry experience, including Hydrom, informs your current vision?
Firas Al-Abduwani: Hydrogen is an important decarbonization vector for Oman. We view it as a key element addressing energy security and furthering economic diversification in Oman. Our goal is to transform Oman into a new, green, and low-carbon industrialization hub, benefiting society as a whole. This includes focusing on capability development, research and development (R&D), and innovation.
The industry has categorised hydrogen in different “colors” to differentiate between the different methods of hydrogen and associated emissions (if any). There are three colors that Oman is currently pursuing or assessing; green hydrogen which is produced through electrolysis of water using renewable energy and has no associated operational emissions; Blue hydrogen which is produced typically through steam methane reformation, and has the associated emissions captured and sequestered; and White hydrogen or geologic hydrogen that is produced from the subsurface.
Oman is one of the top nations in the world when it comes to renewable energy resources given the complementarity of its solar and wind profiles. It also has favorable proximity to shorelines, and robust infrastructure, including ports and facilities. This presents an excellent opportunity for us to harness green hydrogen, export it globally, and attract industries to Oman. As for blue and white hydrogen, we are still in the early stages of assessing and studying the applicability of these forms of hydrogen to Oman’s toolkit of energy security, decarbonisation, and economic diversification.
Q. Transportation and logistics are major consumers of oil and gas industry products, while also being significant contributors to CO2 emissions in the atmosphere. Could you provide insights on the transportation and logistics infrastructure for green hydrogen projects in Oman? What measures will be taken to ensure efficient transportation and distribution of green hydrogen within Oman and the international market?
