A Delegation consisting of a number of governmental and private agencies, headed by HE Mohsin bin Hamad al Hadhrami, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Energy and Minerals is on a working visit to the Republic of South Korea followed by visits to the People’s Republic of China and the Kingdom of Malaysia. This tour aims to strengthen the efforts of the Sultanate of Oman supervised by the Ministry of Energy and Minerals in green hydrogen investments, oil, gas and minerals in Oman and to discuss the available opportunities with government officials and senior representatives of companies to promote the partnerships and cooperation opportunities in order to develop the in-country value added chain.

During the visit to the Republic of South Korea, HE the Head of the delegation met with a number of government officials and private sector. Moreover, HE met the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Environment Jeechul Yu and HE the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy Elgon Park to discuss the cooperation opportunities in the fields of Renewable Energy and investment in the projects of green hydrogen production, transportation and storage between the two countries and finding practical ways to achieve the mutual economic and environmental aspirations and goals. A number of business meetings were also held with Korean companies most significant of which were Samsung Protium, Hyundai, POSCO and SK Engineering which expressed their wish to invest in green hydrogen sectors, oil, gas and minerals in the Sultanate of Oman.

HE Mohsin bin Hamad, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Energy and Minerals said about this visit “in the Sultanate of Oman, we aim to be at the forefront of the leading countries in the production of green hydrogen in the world, since the Ministry of Energy and Minerals has developed an ambitious strategy to ensure the development of green hydrogen economy. The Ministry is also working on promoting this sector for its positive return in diversifying energy resources and reducing the rate of carbon emissions to reach zero neutrality. It also provides a strategic opportunity for the Omani and International companies to cooperate and contribute to supporting energy security at both the local and international levels as well as achieving the economic diversity. The Ministry has already offered investment opportunities in green hydrogen production via Hydrogen Company Platform “Hydrom”.

HE Undersecretary of the Ministry of Energy affirmed “The Ministry is working with its partners in the sector on consolidating the position of the Sultanate of Oman in assuming a leading, reliable and competitive role in the international energy sector and enhancing the national capabilities through supporting the national innovation, localizing advanced technologies in this field and developing national competencies with the development of the renewable energy and green hydrogen sector. Our visit is also included in the program prepared for working on widely promoting the renewable energy and clean hydrogen.

The visit also reflects our interest in this sector and the provided capabilities for investment in this field, since we are seeking to increase the commercial opportunities and strategic partnerships of the production and exporting hydrogen locally and globally. We also work to hasten the entry of hydrogen into local heavy industries and energy sectors”.On the sidelines of this visit, the delegation took part in the Global Climate Industry Expo) GCE and (the Global Green Hub Conference) GGHK in Busan, the Republic of South Korea. The delegation headed by HE undersecretary of the Ministry of Energy and Minerals held a special discussion with the Republic of South Korea in the with green hydrogen in the presence of HE the Korean Minister of Environment Han Hwa-jin and senior officials from the Korean and Omani private sectors in addition to the Oman Energy Association. The discussion was about the investment opportunities in the hydrogen Sector in both countries and the two sides also discussed the economic, legislative and technological challenges that face the sector and how to expand the production of green hydrogen. The two sides also discussed the latest technologies related to the value-added chain of green hydrogen which is related to electrolysis, (hydrogen transportation and storage, fuel cells, hydrogen uses in heavy industries and transportation as well as methods to ship it across oceans. Moreover, during the visit to the fair, the delegation was acquainted with the latest technologies specialized in clean energy, contribution to reducing carbon emissions and the future of transportation as well.

The delegation also paid a site visit to Chonsongdae factory through which the delegation was acquainted with a pilot project for a pipeline specialized in transporting Hydrogen gas by extracting it from the gas with carbon capture and converting it into blue hydrogen. The delegation also visited POSCO which is specialized in steel industries, where the delegation learned about the technologies of producing green iron depending on hydrogen in the transformation process of iron ore.

Dr. Saleh al Anbouri, explained that the Omani Korean relations in the field of oil and gas is a strategic partnership for both parties in which the mutual interests are achieved as it is important for the Korean side in order to secure a safe and continuous supply of all kinds of energy. This partnership is definitely significant for the Sultanate of Oman to attract capitals, technologies and several industrial expertise owned by Korean companies. This visit aims to attract Korean exploration and production companies which possess financial capabilities and technical expertise to carry out these operations. The available opportunities were offered in the current auction tour on concession areas no. 15, 54 and 36 which was offered for auction at the beginning of this year.

A group of off shore concession areas will be offered in the third quarter this year. Al Anbouri pointed out the auction mechanism on the oil concession areas as well as the contracting methods and facilities provided by the government of the Sultanate of Oman to realize a clear contracting that separates between the obligations of the government and the operating companies and to achieve the continuous relation and sector sustainability. The Korean companies expressed their wish to take part in the competition for several oil concession areas through the auction tours. We hope to get the best offers and the best technical expertise through the completion for the offered concession areas this year.

For his part Engineer Mohanad bin Khatab al Hanaei, Director of Hydrogen Policies and Strategies Department in the Ministry of Energy and Minerals gave a presentation to the President and members of Hydrogen Alliance in the Republic of south Korea H2 Korea through which he explained the strategy of Oman for green hydrogen, investment opportunities in Oman and cooperation to develop the sector and achieve the mutual sustainable goals between the two countries.

Al Waleed Al Shakily, Senior Director of the Economic Diversity Investment at Oman Investment Authority, the fields of investment cooperation provided by the Authority represented in the sectors listed under the Authority’s Investment portfolio and related to the Renewable Energy Sector, Green Hydrogen, Minerals Sector and Complementary Logistics.

Discussion also was about the technological opportunities related to green hydrogen production and investment in the related projects such as green iron industry and energy storage battery. They also talked about the materials used in these industries and if these companies can enter these fields that achieve the added value for these industries which is represented in localizing industries, providing job opportunities and developing the logistics sector. The role of the Authority in attracting investment through the financial and strategic partnerships which are the most prominent factors considered by the external investor were also discussed.

Thrya Al Zrafiah explained the benefits motivations and facilities enjoyed by Special Economic Zones, Free Zones and Industrial Zones. Thrya bint Mohamed Al Zrafiah from the Public authority for the Special Economic Zone and Free Zones affirmed that the Authority follows a methodology which focuses on facilitating communication with the investors and providing the motivations required for launching business and delivering commercial solutions required for facilitating manufacturing industries of hydrogen derivatives. The development of the renewable energy sector is one of the leading sectors inside the zones, particularly in the Special Economic Zone and Free Zone, since the interest increases in the renewable energy projects and its development with the aim of the development of the green economy in the sultanate of Oman. Several projects have been signed lately in this regard such as HYPORT Duqm Project for Green Hydrogen and Green Ammonia Production, and GHC Company Green Hydrogen and Ammonia Project in Duqm related to power generation, Jindal Shadeed Steel Project, Mitsui &Co. Steel in Duqm and the Brazilian Company Vale.

The Special Economic Zone in Duqm is characterized by being one of the main zones in which wind energy and solar radiation are available continuously so that electricity can be generated from clean energy, in addition to the adequate infrastructure for this kind of industries and paths close to the Duqm port which make it a perfect site for the downstream plants for the world class green hydrogen. There is a multi- purposes port in the Zone for exporting and importing. There is also an opportunity for manufacturing photovoltaic solar panels, windmills, electrolysis equipment and other supporting services that are considered fundamental elements in the green energy value added chain.