(Düsseldorf) – The consortium of the green hydrogen project “Hyport Duqm” in the Sultanate of Oman has signed a cooperation agreement with Uniper SE. The energy company says it will provide engineering services and negotiate an offtake agreement for green ammonia. Hyport Duqm's shareholders include the technology service provider DEME Concessions NV and OQ Alternative Energy, part of the Omani oil group OQ (until 2019 Oman Oil Company).
A 150 square kilometer renewable energy site in the special economic zone in Duqm, Oman, was secured for the project at the beginning of the year. Preparations are currently underway there to evaluate the conditions for generating solar and wind power. These renewable energy sources are sufficiently available in Duqm all year round and are intended to form the basis for the planned project to convert green hydrogen into green ammonia.
In the first phase, a hydrogen production plant with an output of 250 to 500 megawatts will be developed. This includes a “complete utility-scale power-to-product value chain” to produce competitive green hydrogen and green ammonia. Solar and wind power plants with an output of 1,3 gigawatts will be installed for electrolysis. Commissioning is scheduled for 2026.
Scaling the value chain for green hydrogen
As part of the future expansions, the value chain will be further scaled and the special economic zone will be transformed into a center for green hydrogen in Oman and the wider region. Hyport Duqm will be connected to the new export terminal, storage infrastructure, bunkering facilities and liquid jetties of the Port of Duqm in the southeast of the country, a joint venture between the logistics company Asyad-Group and the Consortium Antwerpen Port.
By 2040, Oman wants to reduce the share of oil products in gross domestic product to ten percent and generate 90 percent from other sources. “Green hydrogen not only contributes to the diversification of economic activity beyond the oil-related sectors, but also significantly strengthens the Sultanate’s environmental and innovative performance profile, building on existing supply chains and infrastructure,” it said in a statement.
DEME Concessions manages DEME Group's broad business relationships in the areas of renewable energy, marine infrastructure and ports, green hydrogen and special projects. The company has 5.200 employees and a fleet of more than 100 ships.
OQ is an Omani global energy company. With branches in 17 countries, the group covers the entire value chain from exploration and production to marketing and sales of end-use products. The fuels and chemicals are sold in over 60 countries worldwide. The OQ Alternative Energy division is based on the three pillars of “Green Molecules”, energy sector assets and investments, and energy efficiency and optimization.
The German Uniper SE is an internationally active energy company with around 12.000 employees in more than 40 countries. The group plans to make its electricity generation in Europe CO2035-neutral by 2. With around 35 GW of installed generation capacity, Uniper is one of the largest electricity producers in the world. Together with the main shareholder Fortum, it is also the third largest producer of CO2-free energy in Europe. Uniper Global Commodities has been present in the Middle East in Dubai since 2007 and has expanded its business in both LNG and Very Low Sulfur Fuel Oil (VLSFO).
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In March, the port administration announced that the Port of Duqm now offers, among other things, solutions for storage, goods handling and containers for all types of ships. / © Port of Duqm
