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Crystal hydrogen project nears investment decision

8 February 2024

The developer team for a 100MW electrolyser facility in Abu Dhabi's Ruwais industrial complex expects to reach a financial investment decision on the project imminently.

Project Crystal is being developed jointly by Abu Dhabi’s Masdar Green Hydrogen, France’s Engie and Abu Dhabi-based petrochemicals firm Fertiglobe, which is also the offtaker of the green ammonia produced from the hydrogen derived from the electrolyser plant.

The developer consortium initially expected to reach a final investment decision on the project by the fourth quarter of 2023.

MEED reported in November that the developer team expects to receive bids for the project's engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) package. 

MEED has yet to confirm the supplier of the plant’s electrolyser equipment. 

It is understood that France’s Technip Energies completed the detailed design of the project last year.

The developer consortium plans to purchase renewable energy from Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec) to power the electrolyser facility, unlike most of the planned green hydrogen projects in the region that include captive renewable energy plants.

The facility is expected to reach commercial operation by early 2026.

It will support green ammonia production and will be installed near Fertiglobe’s ammonia production plants, with Fertiglobe as the sole long-term offtaker.

It is the first project arising from a strategic alliance between Engie and Masdar that was announced in December 2021.

The two companies are looking to develop projects with a capacity of at least 2GW by 2030, with a total investment in the region of $5bn, Engie said at the time.

In addition to this project, Engie also serves as a carbon adviser to Emirates Steel’s low-carbon steel project.

In June last year, the French utility developer and investor, along with South Korea's Posco and several other partners, signed a concession agreement for the development of an integrated green hydrogen complex in Oman.

The South Korean/French-led team plans to develop a green hydrogen plant with an annual capacity of 220,000 tonnes will be located in Duqm, some 450 kilometers southwest of the Omani capital.

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Jennifer Aguinaldo

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