Muscat – As the sultanate prepares to host Oman Sustainability Week 2026 from May 18 to 20, an international energy and finance expert said Oman is rapidly strengthening its position as a regional hub for green investment, renewable energy and sustainable industrial development, supported by growing momentum in blended finance and large-scale clean energy projects.

During Oman Sustainability Week, Giuseppe Bonaccorsi, Managing Director and Partner at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), will deliver a keynote titled ‘Blended Finance & Financing the Green Transition’.

Speaking to Muscat Daily, Bonaccorsi said the Gulf region is moving beyond ambition towards large-scale execution. “The GCC is no longer simply announcing targets. It is now building the partnerships, financing structures and industrial ecosystems required to deliver the energy transition at scale.”

He noted that countries across the Gulf are increasingly linking renewable energy development with broader economic diversification plans, particularly in sectors such as green hydrogen, sustainable fuels and decarbonised industrial production.

According to Bonaccorsi, Oman is emerging as one of the strongest regional examples of this shift through its focus on renewable energy, green hydrogen and industrial integration. Projects such as Manah Solar and Hyport Duqm demonstrate how the sultanate is translating long-term sustainability ambitions into tangible investment opportunities capable of attracting international partners and capital.

He explained that one of the most important mechanisms supporting this transformation is blended finance, which combines concessional or public funding with private sector investment to reduce risk and improve project bankability.

“Blended finance is about unlocking scale by aligning capital with risk in a smarter way,” he said. “Many sustainable projects are commercially viable in the long term, but they often face barriers during the early stages because of market uncertainty, long payback periods, or infrastructure gaps.”

He added that instruments such as guarantees, concessional loans, subordinated capital and risk-sharing mechanisms are increasingly being used to attract institutional and commercial investors into large-scale renewable energy and infrastructure projects.

Bonaccorsi stressed that concessional financing is particularly important for emerging markets and first-of-a-kind projects, including green hydrogen and advanced storage technologies, where private investors may still perceive elevated risk.

Despite the GCC’s strong natural advantages in solar and renewable resources, he said several structural challenges continue to affect the pace of scaling projects across the region. These include grid integration, storage capacity, regulatory clarity, development of local supply chains, and the need for reliable long-term offtake agreements.

“In Oman, infrastructure development linked to hydrogen exports and grid integration are already becoming national priorities,” he said, noting that strategic investments in enabling infrastructure will be essential to support the next phase of growth.

Bonaccorsi also highlighted the evolving role of governments in major infrastructure and energy projects across the Gulf. “Rather than acting primarily as financiers, governments are increasingly positioning themselves as strategic enablers by establishing regulatory stability, transparent procurement frameworks and long-term policy direction.”

Looking ahead, Bonaccorsi said Oman has a significant opportunity to strengthen its position as a regional centre for sustainable energy investment and green financing.