This new National Hydrogen Strategy was developed through a collaboration with the Australian consultancy firm, GHD, alongside Fraunhofer CINES, a German research organization. The project will be focused on the local production capacity of low-carbon hydrogen within the Gulf State.

The aim for local production capacity within the Gulf state is to increase it to 1.4Mtpa of low-carbon hydrogen by 2031, then continuously increase this to 7.5Mtpa by 2040 and finally to 15Mtpa by 2050. These aims, generated from collaboration within the new National Hydrogen Strategy, have coincidentally aligned with the UAE’s commitment to have tripled its renewable energy capacity by 2030, which is part of an updated Energy Strategy 2050.

These are the UAE’s goals, as altogether the UAE is aiming to create ‘two hydrogen oases’ throughout a span of eight years, eventually reaching a total of five hydrogen oases by 2050.

The projects that are now underway emphasise how much support the National Hydrogen Strategy is providing to the country’s investments in clean energy, the efforts the country is making to contribute to the global efforts, such as driving environmental sustainability. Furthermore, the efforts going into this project will also help hard-to-abate industries reduce emissions. This means sectors such as land, sea, air transport, chemicals and fertilisers and metals including aluminium, iron and steel, will be able to reduce their carbon emissions by 25% by 2031 and increase to 1005 in 2050.

Executive General Manager of GHD Advisory, Richard Fechner, commented on the project, mentioning that the launch makes it clear that a more sustainable journey is underway, “Hydrogen is key to decarbonising challenging sectors, and the UAE is spearheading this global effort. With strong commitments and policies, setting up certifications and standards, and promoting strategic investments, the UAE’s Net Zero goals are within reach”.

The Head of Hydrogen Cooperation (MENA region) of Fraunhofer CINES, Dr Jan Frederik Braun, added that the strategy considers all aspects of the hydrogen value chain: production, distribution, and usage, “The UAE’s opportunities to create value in the emerging global hydrogen market will lie in its ability to produce innovative and competitive hydrogen-based end products along the value chain.”