MUSCAT: The retrofitting of heavy trucks to operate on a combination of diesel and hydrogen is one of several initiatives being weighed by Oman’s Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT) to help decarbonize the transportation sector in the Sultanate of Oman.
Also known as ‘Hydrogen Co-Combustion’, this dual fuel H2-Diesel combustion model is envisaged for introduction in Oman as a short-term decarbonization solution, according to Abdullah al Busaidy, an expert on the Ministry’s Carbon Neutrality team.
Speaking at the Green Hydrogen Summit Oman (GHSO) 2023 forum on Thursday, Al Busaidy said the underlying technology has been proven to work satisfactorily in Oman.
“The co-combustion technology has been developed 100 percent in Oman,” said the official. “It has been manufactured and developed to utilize more than 40 percent of hydrogen. The good news is that we have finalized our testing by a third party, and it shows more than 40 percent reduction of CO2.”
A 7-year roadmap spanning the 2023 - 2030 period foresees the potential for retrofitting existing diesel trucks with H2 co-combustion engines at a far cheaper rate than any fuel cell-based alternative. Powered 40% by hydrogen, co-combustion trucks will continue to operate even on an empty hydrogen tank, thereby addressing ‘range anxiety’ issues typically associated with mono-fuel vehicles. When implemented, the policy around retrofitting of trucks with co-combustion features is also expected to open up significant in-country value (ICV) and job creation opportunities, it is pointed out.
To support the roll-out of H2-Diesel co-combustion, the roadmap envisions a small-scale project to enable the growth of a hydrogen ecosystem in Oman. It centres on the establishment of a 20 – 40 tons/day hydrogen production and distribution facility to serve filling stations en route to the concession areas where most heavy loads are currently bound. Initially, the small-scale project will cater to around 400 co-combustion trucks, in addition to 50 fuel cell trucks in the first three years, rising to 5,000 co-combustion and 500 fuel cell trucks by 2030. Targeted for coverage are filling stations located along ‘hydrogen corridors’ linking the major cities of Suhar, Muscat, Nizwa and Salalah with the oilfield regions of the country.
The transportation sector, which accounted for 15.9 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2022, is targeted for a 3% reduction by 2030, rising to 34% by 2040 and 100% by 2050.
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