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Oman plans green-hydrogen corridor to Europe

By Andy Sambidge
Oman has signed an agreement with Port of Amsterdam, Zenith Energy Terminals and GasLog to develop a green-hydrogen corridor between Oman and the Netherlands Hydrom
The partnership aims to develop a green-hydrogen corridor between Oman and the Netherlands
  • Amsterdam is Europe’s ‘gateway’
  • Port, vessels and storage deal
  • $33bn investment predicted

Oman’s plans to make the world’s first commercial-scale liquid hydrogen corridor are a step closer after the sultanate signed a deal with the fourth largest port in Western Europe.

Oman’s Ministry of Energy and Minerals and Hydrogen Oman, better known as Hydrom, have signed an agreement with Port of Amsterdam, Zenith Energy Terminals and GasLog.

The primary aim is to establish a green hydrogen corridor between Oman and the Netherlands. Zenith Energy Terminals will provide the destination for the import, regasification and further distribution to large industries across Europe. 

Zenith Energy Terminals owns more than three million cubic metres of renewable fuels, crude oil, chemicals and gas storage across North America, Europe and Latin America, while GasLog operates a fleet of 38 LNG carriers.

Plans for a hydrogen liquefaction, storage and export facility in Oman are also being assessed, along with the provision of specialised vessels for transportation. 

Liquefying gaseous hydrogen, shipping it and regasifying it at the destination port is a mode of energy transportation successfully used by the LNG industry for decades. 

Guided by Oman’s Vision 2040 and its goal to reach net zero by 2050, the Omani government’s hydrogen strategy seeks to capitalise on the country’s abundant natural resources and port and industrial infrastructure. 

Dorine Bosman, chief investment officer at Port of Amsterdam, said he aimed to establish the port as the gateway for Omani-produced green hydrogen to the European market.

Abdulaziz Al Shidhani, managing director of Hydrom, said the new partnership will “help bring us one step closer to our shared goal”.

Oman is on track to become the sixth-largest exporter of hydrogen globally and the largest in the Middle East by 2030, according to analysis by the Paris-based International Energy Agency.

Oil and gas represent around 60 percent of the country’s export income and domestic natural gas accounts for over 95 percent of the country’s electricity generation. 

The hydrogen rainbow

  • Green hydrogen is produced on a carbon-neutral basis through water electrolysis. 
  • Turquoise hydrogen is created when natural gas is broken down into hydrogen and solid carbon with the help of methane pyrolysis.
  • Blue hydrogen is generated from the steam reduction of natural gas. 
  • Grey hydrogen is obtained by steam reforming fossil fuels such as natural gas or coal. 
  • Sometimes other colours are ascribed to hydrogen, based on how it is produced. For red, pink and violet hydrogen, the electrolysers are driven by nuclear power. 
  • Yellow hydrogen is hydrogen produced from a mixture of renewable energies and fossil fuels. 
  • White hydrogen is a waste product of other chemical processes, while the use of coal as a fuel produces brown hydrogen.

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