UAE unveils hydrogen leadership roadmap

The UAE has announced its goal to become a global leader in low carbon hydrogen, during the COP26 summit in Glasgow.

The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MOEI) unveiled the Hydrogen Leadership Roadmap, a comprehensive national blueprint to support domestic, low-carbon industries, contribute to the UAE's net-zero ambition and establish the country as a competitive exporter of hydrogen.

Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, said seven projects are currently underway and the UAE is on-track to capture 25 per cent market share in key export markets, including Japan, South Korea, Germany, and India initially along with additional high-potential markets in Europe and East Asia.

"Although the UAE is well positioned to be a leader in low carbon hydrogen with natural competitive advantages for both blue and green hydrogen, green hydrogen production remains in its infancy, requiring an international collaboration to accelerate its development," he explained.

As outlined in the Roadmap, the UAE aims to support the low-carbon hydrogen business through five critical enablers.

These include a clear regulatory framework backed by policies, incentives, standards, and certifications; best-in-class technology through value-add partnerships and the vibrant and robust UAE domestic research and development structure; access to existing and new Government-to-Government relationships to accelerate growth of a domestic ecosystem; readily available land and infrastructure resources to support domestic production; and green financing within the UAE and in international capital markets.