UAE commissions its first green hydrogen plant in Dubai

The UAE will commission its first green hydrogen plant in Dubai this week, according to Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure in Abu Dhabi.

The plant will provide fuel to certain vehicles that will be used during Expo 2020 Dubai.

“This week, in Dubai, we are commissioning the first green hydrogen plant, which will supply certain buses and cars used during the Expo,” Al Mazrouei told reporters at the World Utilities Congress launch in Abu Dhabi.

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) is implementing the green hydrogen project, the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa, in collaboration with Expo 2020 Dubai and Siemens Energy. The project is being carried out at Dewa’s R&D Centre at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park’s outdoor testing facilities.

The minister also mentioned that Masdar has begun an initiative to use solar PV (photovoltaic) to produce hydrogen and, as a first step, try to use it in some buses and passenger vehicles in Abu Dhabi.

Al Mazrouei also revealed that a solar rooftop law is in the works, which will increase renewable energy capacity.

“We are also working on a solar rooftops law, which will allow different sectors to install smaller scale PV to supplement the authorities’ larger scale projects in the emirate. We are currently working on that regulation. Once completed, I am confident it will make a contribution.”

Al Mazrouei emphasized that the ministry is working with the Abu Dhabi government to develop a national hydrogen strategy.

“We were the first country to establish a regulation — ESMA (Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology), our standardisation — for hydrogen-powered vehicles. The ministry has joined an alliance with Mubadala, Masdar, and Adnoc in Abu Dhabi. And that alliance will jointly develop an overall strategy and targets for hydrogen,” he explained.

“We’re working on it” (overall strategy). We will publish it. I am confident that, once formed, it will apply to both the federal government and the government of Abu Dhabi.”

In the UAE, the ‘National Integrated Energy Model’ was recently launched to support the UAE Energy Strategy, which aims to increase clean energy’s contribution to the country’s total energy mix to 50% by 2050.