MUSCAT, DEC 10
Oman LNG’s efforts to establish a green energy cluster within Sur Industrial City continue to make headway with the support of the National Hydrogen Alliance (Hy-Fly), a major grouping of national energy companies, and public and private organisations that have joined forces to help drive Oman’s energy transition.
On Thursday, Hy-Fly revealed that a techno-economic feasibility study into the proposed development of a Hydrogen and Energy Transition Cluster at Sur is being led by the Sustainable Energy Research Centre (SERC) of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) jointly with Hy-Fly’s Project Management Office, presently overseen by the Renewal Energy Unit of Petroleum Development Oman (PDO).
“As one of the strategic objectives of the National Hydrogen Alliance (Hy-Fly), Oman LNG is pleased to spearhead the first techno-economic feasibility study to explore the opportunities of decarbonisation and energy transition in Sur Industrial Estate in a hub-and-spoke approach,” officials stated in a video clip on the initiative on Thursday.
“Furthermore, the study includes exploring low carbon business opportunities by utilising available carbon dioxide at Sur Industrial Estate for the production of low carbon products, as well as assessing potential business opportunities in creating carbon dioxide infrastructure and network, to enable carbon capture utilisation with the other industrial estates in Oman, and strategic partnership with partners around the world,” they added.
A number of Omani researchers of SQU’s SERC facility have been roped in to participate in the study. They visited the industrial park – part of the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (Madayn), as well as the massive gas liquefaction plant of Oman LNG at Qalhat near Sur. As part of their study, the research team also engaged with visiting experts from South Korea and representatives of the wider hydrocarbon industry in Oman.
According to Oman LNG, the proposed Sur Hydrogen and Energy Transition Cluster will lead to a number of investment opportunities and benefits.
Besides contributing to the overall national goal of decarbonising industries and the wider economy, the initiative will result in significant natural gas savings while also opening up new low-carbon business opportunities.
Furthermore, it will help contribute to capacity-building in line with the objectives of Oman Vision 2040 and to the achievement of Oman’s Net Zero target by 2050.
Importantly, the project will help strengthen Oman LNG’s bid to secure an extension in its mandate from the Omani government to operate beyond 2025, when its current 25-year concession expires.
The Qalhat plant is emerging from a multi-million dollar, multi-year capacity restoration, debottlenecking and rejuvenation programme aimed at boosting efficiency and ensuring long-term sustainability.
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