The International Energy Agency (IAE) has applauded the Sultanate of Oman’s decarbonisation efforts. “The reason Oman is such an important country for us at the IEA is because (the country) is playing a leading a role in decarbonisation efforts in the Middle East and North Africa region,” said Ali Al Saffar, Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at the International Energy Agency.
Speaking at the Oman pavilion on the sidelines of the UN COP27 climate conference in Sharm El Sheik in Egypt, Al Saffar added, “The work that Oman is doing on decarbonisation effort, in its domestic industry and at the same time looking for ways to diversify its energy and economy is, in the vision of the IEA, quite an exemplary story.”
The IEA, with the government of Oman, the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, PDO and other industrial players, work together to decarbonise oil and gas, look towards low carbon fuels — including low carbon hydrogen — and find ways to propel further industrialisation and make sure that economic diversification happens at the same time as the energy transition does.
“The reason for this is because what exists Oman can be implemented further. If we can use Oman as an example to show the successes in the energy transition and economic diversification then it can lead the way to a much more successful and much more economically prosperous region,” Al Saffar said.
“When we work with Oman or with other country, it’s very important that when we talk of energy transition, this is for the prosperity of the people, that nobody is left behind, that it can create good quality job and that it can create good economic resilience. The reason Oman is so important to us is that, it is in some ways an exemplar in the region; it is doing things before many countries are, and we are very excited to part of this journey,” he concluded.
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