Muscat – Oman has signed an agreement with Dutch partners to study the costs and logistics of transporting green hydrogen and its derivatives to the Netherlands, as the sultanate moves to strengthen clean energy trade links with Europe.

The agreement was signed during the World Hydrogen Summit and Exhibition in Rotterdam, held from May 19 to 21, where Oman participated with a delegation led by H E Eng Salim bin Nasser Al Aufi, Minister of Energy and Minerals.

The study forms part of the NoorBridge project, a clean energy initiative aimed at establishing a commercial green hydrogen export corridor between Oman and the Netherlands.

The project brings together Sohar Port and Freezone, the German University of Technology in Oman, Asyad Group, Holland Hydrogen Hub and several Dutch partners.

Under the agreement, partners will assess transportation routes, logistics costs and supply chain requirements for exporting hydrogen and its derivatives from Oman to European markets.

Speaking at the summit, H E Al Aufi said international cooperation and aligned regulatory frameworks were essential to accelerating the global transition to low-carbon energy systems.

He said green hydrogen would play a central role in future energy markets and in supporting sustainability and net-zero targets.

The Omani delegation also conducted site visits in Rotterdam, including meetings with the Dutch Data Center Association to explore renewable energy and hydrogen solutions for sustainable data centres.

On the sidelines of the summit, H E Al Aufi held talks with Boudewijn Siemons, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam, on the port’s role in supporting Oman’s energy transition plans. Discussions covered solar energy projects, electricity grid connectivity and hydrogen supply chains targeting Europe.

Both sides also reviewed prospects for establishing a direct hydrogen corridor linking Oman with Rotterdam Port.

In separate meetings, the delegation met representatives of the Port of Vlissingen and European energy firms to discuss hydrogen infrastructure, storage and import facilities.

Officials from the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research also held discussions with the Omani side on carbon capture, utilisation and storage technologies, hydrogen certification systems and applied research linked to low-carbon energy projects.

Oman additionally participated in the Liquid Hydrogen Corridor meeting involving officials from Oman, the Netherlands, Germany and Japan to examine international hydrogen trade routes connecting global markets with Omani production hubs.

H E Al Aufi also met Willemien Terpstra, CEO of Dutch state-owned energy infrastructure company Gasunie, and Stientje van Veldhoven, Dutch Minister for Climate and Green Growth, to discuss cooperation in hydrogen infrastructure and clean energy projects.