Muscat – Petrofac, the UK-based leading provider of services to the global energy industry, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Oman Hydrogen Centre (OHC) to collaborate in building capabilities for Oman’s renewable energy sector, particularly in green hydrogen.

Located at the German University of Technology (GUtech), OHC is the first research facility of its kind in the sultanate, supporting the country in accelerating its transition to renewable energy. The centre provides an international hub for research, technology, education, industry applications and economy, aligned with Oman Vision 2040.

Petrofac has a growing track record in supporting new energy projects across a wide range of technologies and has recently completed front-end engineering design (FEED) for large-scale green hydrogen productions facilities, as well as numerous studies for small-scale industrial users across the world.

According to a press statement, Petrofac will provide technical expertise, leveraging their extensive experience in designing, managing and executing complex projects, and building capacity through knowledge transfer.

The Petrofac-OHC partnership will bring considerable benefits to the efficient implementation of green hydrogen projects and help accelerate Oman’s energy transition. As well as providing expertise and supporting growth of the hydrogen sector, the collaboration is structured around the development of Omani talent.

The Takatuf Petrofac Oman (TPO) training centre will also provide access to educational resources, technical training and hands-on learning to skill up students from its base in Knowledge Oasis Muscat.

Dr Khalid al Jahwari, Petrofac’s country manager for Oman, said, “To meet the global energy demand, while achieving energy efficiency targets, industry is looking at every potential technology. Green hydrogen provides an opportunity to help accelerate the energy transition in Oman through the decarbonisation of many parts of our industries. Our partnership with OHC is designed to meet the needs of new complex energy assets, with the focus on engineering excellence and an ever-more skilled workforce. With our combined knowledge, experience and capabilities, we are here to support this transition.”

Dr Sausan al Riyami, director of Oman Hydrogen Centre, said, “Remarkable efforts from governmental units, industries, and scientists take place towards accelerating the energy transition and green economy. Our cooperation with Petrofac is aiming to develop certain studies regarding renewable energies and green hydrogen economy by focusing on technical training that includes a hands-on operation session. This will enable the building of our Omani talents in energy sector.”

Petrofac has been supporting the sultanate’s energy industries since 1988 to design, build, operate, and maintain facilities, as well as developing local workforce competence and generating in-country value.

Asyad Group on Monday also signed an MoU with Oman Hydrogen Centre to study the potential of Oman’s ports and logistics services in shaping the nation’s green hydrogen economy.

Asyad Group’s agreement with OHC includes conducting in-depth research and analysis against global best practices to enhance the efficiency of Asyad’s ports and logistics operations as well the competencies and human resources required to cater for this clean energy sector.