Awarded by Energy Development Oman (EDO)-owned Hydrogen Oman (Hydrom), the land is expected to host up to 4.5GW of wind and solar resources to power electrolysis for the production of up to 200,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year.
Fortescue and Actis currently plan to sell hydrogen produced at the site to local industrial offtakers as well as processing some into derivatives such as ammonia for export through the Port of Salah.
It comes from Hydrom’s second land allocation which also saw a consortium made up of EDF, EDF Renewable, J-POWER and Yamna awarded 340km2 of land to develop a 2.5GW green hydrogen and ammonia plant.
Read more: Franco-Japanese group awarded Omani land for 2.5GW green hydrogen project
The companies said the project was a “compelling investment opportunity” which could be underwritten by strong offtake demand, a “stable and supportive regulatory environment” and a “prime strategic location.”
“Oman is one of the most attractive opportunities for low-cost green ammonia due to its land availability, strong solar and wind resources, port infrastructure and regulatory support,” said James Mittell, Director, Energy Infrastructure at Actis.
Moataz Kandil, MENA President at Fortescue, said the partnership between the Australian firm, Hydrom and Actis would “cement” Oman as a “powerhouse in green molecules.”
MENA: Five countries, five hydrogen hotspots
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region over the past two years has been showing the world its ability to capitalise on its hydrogen potential. Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Morocco, in particular, have all stepped up their respective goals and activities.
As traditional oil and gas producing nations, the five countries benefit from energy expertise, abundant renewable energy potential and natural gas supply, and convenient location between the hydrogen-hungry regions of Europe and Asia, among a degree of other factors.
While 2022 and 2023’s headlines were dominated by the vast political race between Europe and North America, MENA has steadily and meaningfully worked towards the realisation of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen at scale, as it looks to renew its role as a global energy player. Here, H2 View looks into the five hydrogen hotspots:
Oman
With high wind and solar potential, alongside existing oil and gas infrastructure, Oman is on track to be the sixth largest global hydrogen exported by 20301, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). The country is focusing on green hydrogen development, with blue hydrogen seen as a stepping stone. By 2050, its renewable energy capacity will enable it to produce four times its energy needs.
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