Muscat – The partnership between Oman and South Korea in the green hydrogen sector offers substantial mutual gains for both countries, leveraging each other’s strengths and capacities. This was the message from speakers at the Korea-Oman Green Hydrogen Strategic Forum 2023 held on the sidelines of the Green Hydrogen Summit Oman 2023 on Tuesday.

The Second Korea-Oman Green Hydrogen Strategic Forum was hosted by the Korean Embassy at Crowne Plaza, Oman Convention and Exhibition Center (OCEC). The forum aimed at increasing the level of understanding of the strategies and policies of Korea and Oman in the green hydrogen sector.

In his opening remarks, H E Kiejoo Kim, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Oman, said, “Since last year’s Korea-Oman Green Hydrogen Strategic Forum, there has been substantial progress and the delivery of initiatives. The development of the hydrogen economy is gaining worldwide momentum as a strategic opportunity to effectively address the energy trilemma, i.e., environmental sustainability, energy equity, and energy security.”

He said that the worsening global climate crisis and the increasing demand for carbon-free energy sources necessitate an early transition to low-emission hydrogen, especially green hydrogen.

H E Kiejoo Kim further said that Korea is determined to contribute to the development of the hydrogen economy and the green hydrogen industry. As announced in 2022, Korea is pursuing a comprehensive plan encapsulated in the ‘3-Up strategy,’ namely Scale Up, Build Up, and Level Up.

“The partnership between Korea and Oman in the green hydrogen sector offers substantial and mutual gains. This bilateral partnership will extend to stakeholders in the green hydrogen industry at regional and global levels, contributing to the fulfillment of zero-carbon emissions by 2050 and the pursuit of a new paradigm of energy security,” the ambassador said.

Oman’s ongoing green hydrogen projects have made substantial progress by completing the first round of auctioning of green hydrogen blocks in Duqm and launching the second round of the competitive bidding process in Dhofar. Once these projects are completed, Oman’s aggregate output of green hydrogen is expected to reach the targeted 1mn tonnes per annum by 2030.

One of the major partnerships between Korea and Oman is the POSCO-led consortium, which in June this year signed a whopping $6.7bn green hydrogen and ammonia project to be established in Duqm. This project will produce 1.2mn tonnes of green ammonia per annum. Most of the green hydrogen produced at the facility will be shipped to Korea.

Giving a presentation on ‘Opportunities across the green hydrogen value chain in Oman,’ Eng Abdulaziz al Shidhani, Managing Director of Hydrogen Oman (Hydrom), noted that Oman and Korea can have a strategic collaboration to build a green hydrogen economy.

The event included two sessions: the first on ‘Development of the green hydrogen supply chain and ecosystem’ and the second on ‘Development of hydrogen industrial infrastructure and mobility’.

The forum was attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, Hydrom, National Hydrogen Alliance (Hy-Fly), Korea Institute of Energy Research, and representatives from high-profile companies from Korea and Oman also took part in the event.