Oman has inked a landmark joint development agreement – JDA in order to establish the first commercial-scale liquid hydrogen corridor in the world, which will link Oman’s Duqm Port to the Amsterdam Port in the Netherlands and even go further to Duisburg, the German Port. This liquid hydrogen corridor looks forward to exporting renewable fuels of non-biological origin – RFNBO compliant liquid hydrogen across Europe by enhancing energy security and also supporting efforts related to decarbonization in the hard-to-abate sectors.
This agreement has in it eleven key stakeholders, which include Hydrom – the national hydrogen orchestrator of Oman – and the energy group OQ as well as ports located across Duqm, Amsterdam, and also Duisburg. There are also companies that are part of it, like Tata Steel, ECOLOG, EnBW, Advanced Methanol Amsterdam, and Hynetwork Services.
This consortium, which has been established, looks forward to building a comprehensive supply chain when it comes to green hydrogen and leveraging the strategic location of Oman as well as the renewable energy resources.
One of the focal points of the project is the development of state-of-the-art storage, liquidation, and export facilities at Duqm Port. This facility will be key when it comes to cooling hydrogen into its liquid form, just so that efficient transportation takes place. The advanced vessel design by ECOLOG makes sure that there is zero boil-off during transportation, hence decreasing the cargo loss and setting a new benchmark when it comes to efficiency as well as sustainability.
Upon arriving in Europe, through the liquid hydrogen corridor, the liquid hydrogen will get green gasified at the Amsterdam Port and then be distributed to various industrial takers across the Netherlands and Germany by way of an integrated network by way of pipelines, barge distribution through the Dutch Canal system, and rail connections.
The Dutch minister for climate and green growth, Sophie Hermans, said that this agreement goes on to represent a benchmark moment when it comes to commitment to clean energy through linking Omani green hydrogen along with Europe’s energy needs. They are in a way advancing a shared climate goal and hence creating a pathway of sustainable energy.
H.E. Eng. Salim Nasser Al Aufi, the minister of energy and minerals of Oman Said that this collaboration goes on to reflect Oman’s inclination towards playing a leading role in the global green hydrogen economy and, at the same time, strengthening ties with Europe in order to support the sustainable clean energy transition.
It is well to be noted that the liquid hydrogen corridor not just signifies a major step when it comes to Oman’s ambitions in order to become a global hub as far as green hydrogen production and export are concerned, but also syncs with the objectives that Europe carries in order to verify energy sources and attain climate neutrality. The project goes on to build upon the previous collaborations along with studies and includes agreements that were made during COP27 and hence sets the stage in terms of future advancements of a hydrogen economy.