Under a new memorandum of understanding (MOU), the state-owned renewables firm will assess using Etihad Rail’s national network to transport hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, sustainable aviation fuel and more.

Etihad Rail currently operates 900km of network across the UAE from Ghuwaifat to Fujairah, linking ports, industrial clusters, and trade centres.

© Etihad Rail

The operator’s CEO, Shadi Malak, said the network would provide “critical infrastructure” for moving green hydrogen and derivatives at “scale”.

The technical details behind the cooperation remain unclear. Most long-distance hydrogen transportation developments have recently focused on pipelines or using derivatives like ammonia to reduce costs.

While hydrogen-by-rail remains rare, gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) are already transported this way –  around 1.2 million tonnes of liquid CO2 annually, according to the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy.

Masdar CEO, Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, said through collaborations like this, the company can “build the green hydrogen value chain, support the UAE and decarbonisation efforts, and drive sustainable economic growth.”

Despite the new agreement, it comes after Masdar cooled its ambitious hydrogen targets, pushing back its goal of producing one million tonnes per year by 2030 amid low demand, high cost and infrastructure challenges.