The UAE, represented by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MOEI) today announced the Hydrogen Leadership Roadmap, a comprehensive national blueprint to support domestic, low-carbon industries, contribute to the country’s net-zero ambition and establish the country as a competitive exporter of hydrogen.
The Roadmap’s ambitions underscore the UAE leadership’s enduring legacy of progressive solutions to global climate challenges, as recently demonstrated by the announcement of "UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative". The UAE became the first country in the Middle East and North Africa region to announce a net zero strategic initiative by 2050 in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement.
The unveiling of the Hydrogen Leadership Roadmap came during the crucial COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, where countries from across the globe are expected to commit to enhanced pledges to cut emissions for the first time since the Paris accord was signed.
Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, said, "The United Arab Emirates today launches UAE’s Hydrogen Roadmap a key enabler in line with UAE leadership’s enduring tradition to contribute progressive solutions to global climate challenges with the announcement of 'UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative'. The Net Zero Initiative is aimed at creating a vibrant ecosystem transiting towards a new model of sustainable economic growth trajectory that leverages research, development, innovation, and clean technology.
Plans, strategies, and implementation of the necessary initiatives and projects are under development by stakeholders in UAE’s key sectors, including energy, economy, industry, infrastructure, transport, waste, agriculture, and the environment. The UAE is well positioned to be a leader in low carbon hydrogen with natural competitive advantages for both blue and green hydrogen, however, green hydrogen production remains in its infancy, requiring an international collaboration to accelerate its development. Green hydrogen is envisaged to play a significant role in UAE’s domestic strategy to meet the UAE 2050 Net-Zero goals and which will also assist globally by exporting hydrogen."
Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change said, "The potential of the clean hydrogen market in the UAE and globally is immense and, through the Hydrogen Leadership Roadmap, our nation will be well placed to continue delivering on ambitious growth projects across the clean hydrogen value chain, leveraging the UAE’s existing position as an early mover in low and no-carbon industries and technologies. And within the vision outlined by the recently announced UAE Net Zero Strategic Initiative, the Roadmap will, through fast-emerging growth opportunities in clean hydrogen and its carrier fuels, accelerate efforts to create a vibrant ecosystem for the UAE’s sustainable economic growth trajectory and enable direct positive impact on the country’s GDP."
Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, said, "Perceived by many as the sustainable fuel of the future, clean hydrogen is an important tool in decarbonizing economies. The UAE Hydrogen Leadership Roadmap seeks to leverage the country’s investments and experience in affordable renewable energy to develop the clean hydrogen sector. The Roadmap will play a key role in advancing the UAE’s transition to a sustainable, low-carbon economy."
The Hydrogen Leadership Roadmap comprises three core objectives: unlocking new sources of value creation through exports of low carbon hydrogen, derivatives and products to key importing regions, fostering new hydrogen derivative opportunities through low-carbon steel, sustainable kerosene as well as other priority UAE industries and contributing to the UAE’s 2050 net zero commitments.
As outlined in the Roadmap, the UAE aims to support the low-carbon hydrogen business through five critical enablers: 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.
The UAE is well on its way to meet its ambition to be a global leader in low carbon hydrogen with more than seven projects already underway which will target 25 percent market share in the key export markets, including Japan, South Korea, Germany, and India initially along with additional high-potential markets in Europe and East Asia.
Today, the global market for [clean hydrogen] is estimated to be valued at between 400 billion and one trillion dollars and will be an essential means of the UAE’s ongoing efforts to transition to lower emissions energy sources and capitalise on new growth opportunities within the low and no carbon economy.
The UAE is already well positioned to be a leader in clean hydrogen with natural competitive advantages for both blue and green hydrogen, including abundant and competitive hydrocarbons, existing large-scale hydrogen and ammonia production facilities, access to some of the world’s most cost-competitive solar PV energy and large-scale carbon capture and storage capacities, which national oil company ADNOC already possesses and continues to advance.
The UAE Hydrogen Leadership Roadmap is already being underpinned by National Champions with world-leading low carbon hydrogen projects, pilots, and test cargoes. The UAE plans currently include 7+ projects which are either completed or underway via the main stakeholders, such as the Abu Dhabi Hydrogen Alliance (ADNOC, Mubadala, & ADQ ) and DEWA, including; first solar PV and green hydrogen producing facility in the MENA region, blue ammonia production plant, green hydrogen demonstration plant (initially for road transport, then expanding to e-kerosene synthesis and ocean shipping), establishing a UAE hydrogen hub in collaboration with BP, green ammonia project powered by solar based electrolyzer facility, and a large-scale green hydrogen project enabling the first green steel produced in the MENA region. Additionally, the UAE also have four test cargos of blue ammonia already sold by ADNOC.
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. Green hydrogen is envisaged to play a significant role in UAE’s domestic strategy to meet the UAE 2050 Net-Zero goals and which will also assist globally by exporting hydrogen.