MUSCAT: The fortnight-long National Green Hydrogen Ecosystem Readiness Lab concluded last week with key officials, as well as leading participants, voicing confidence in its goal to maximize value creation from the emerging green molecule economy in the Sultanate of Oman.
Eng Salim bin Nasser al Aufi, Minister of Energy and Minerals, presided over the closing ceremony on Thursday, joined by high-level officials from the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, and a host of public and private sector stakeholder organisations. Hydrom, the orchestrator of the country’s green hydrogen industry, organised the collaborative exercise.
“Wrapping up our two-week Ecosystem Readiness Lab, we've built a strong foundation for Oman’s green hydrogen roadmap. Through multi-sector collaboration, we assessed our infrastructure across five key areas, aligning every element to meet our 2030 green hydrogen production targets,” said Hydrom in a post.
The Ministry of Energy and Minerals noted that the Lab helped lay “solid foundations” for building the green hydrogen sector in the Sultanate of Oman, by enhancing integrated cooperation between sectors and assessing readiness across the economy.
“These efforts come within the framework of achieving the Sultanate's green hydrogen production goals by 2030, where the participants reviewed the laboratory's outputs that aim to strengthen Oman's position on the map of leading countries in the production and export of green hydrogen,” the Ministry added.
Several among the 125-odd participants commented that two weeks of constructive engagement and deliberations would help produce a “roadmap” to secure Oman’s place as a leader in the global green hydrogen market.
“(We are) confident that Oman is in full-fledged readiness to expand its economic growth with green hydrogen,” said Mohammed al Yarubi, Asset Manager at Daleel Petroleum LLC, in a post. “Surely, Oman has (taken) big steps forward in creating a sustainable and scalable green hydrogen industry.”
Dr Maryam al Lawati, Deputy Director – EJAAD, said her role during the Lab focused on three key pillars: Developing In-Country Value (ICV), Fostering Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI), and Manpower Development. She underlined in particular the importance of developing strategies to build a skilled workforce ready to take on the hydrogen challenge, through training programmes and upskilling initiatives tailored to this evolving sector.
Safa al Harthy, Project Engineer at Technical Supplies International, commented: “This lab would be instrumental in preparing businesses and stakeholders for Oman’s ambitious hydrogen initiatives, aligning them with the nation’s broader economic diversification goals under Vision 2040.”
Amira al Yarubi, Assistant Director of Oman Vision 2040 Office at the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT), highlighted logistics-related opportunities and challenges linked to the growth of the green hydrogen sector in Oman.
“During the laboratory, with the distinguished management of the discussion by ASYAD, we discussed the challenges facing the logistics sector, and the opportunities available in order to complete its readiness to support hydrogen production operations in terms of the readiness of ports, roads, and logistics centers, and we came up with some initiatives that were reviewed by the laboratory’s steering committee.”
Athab Humaid of Oman Energy Association (OPAL) added: “I had the pleasure of sharing my thoughts on the local content, where we see massive opportunities to grow our economy and scale up our national workforce. The Green Hydrogen Lab is not the final stage but a crucial step in aligning stakeholders, addressing challenges, and planning for future green initiatives.”
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