The second-largest economy in the Arab world, the UAE, will unveil its national hydrogen strategy the following month, according to a representative of the ministry of energy and infrastructure.
The UAE is enthusiastic about hydrogen and has been developing a detailed road plan to position itself as an exporter of the clean fuel and take advantage of its future possibilities. The UAE wants to attain net zero emissions by the year 2050.
The UAE struck a deal with GHD in Australia and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft in Germany in September of last year to create its low-carbon fuel strategy. Seven of the 28 hydrogen projects that are currently “on board” in the UAE have advanced past the finance stage.
Green hydrogen is anticipated to be crucial in lowering emissions in sectors that are difficult to regulate, like petrochemicals, steel, aluminum, and cement. For the next thirty years, the Emirates will invest Dh600 billion in clean and renewable energy projects.
It is constructing the five gigawatt Mohammed bin Rashid Solar Park in Dubai. Abu Dhabi has set a goal of 5.6 gigawatts of solar PV capacity by 2026 and is now building a two gigawatt solar facility in the Al Dhafra region.
The UAE, which aims to use its hydrogen for both internal consumption and exports, will closely watch the latest EU legislation that stipulate the standards a hydrogen project developer must achieve for the fuel produced to be designated as “renewable”. With a goal of importing 10 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen by 2030, the new regulations apply to hydrogen produced both inside and outside of the EU.
Masdar, an Abu Dhabi-based provider of renewable energy, and four Dutch companies last month signed a preliminary agreement to investigate the creation of a green hydrogen supply network connecting Abu Dhabi and Amsterdam.
