meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Region primed for global green hydrogen leadership

15 August 2022

Published in partnership with

There have been fewer hot topics in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) over the past 18 months than the development of green hydrogen production.

Ever since Neom, Acwa Power and Air Products announced their $5bn investment in a world-scale green hydrogen production complex as the anchor project of the $500bn Neom development in 2020, energy companies around the world have been racing to establish plans of their own in the region.

Today, there are at least 46 known green hydrogen and ammonia projects across the MEA region, with an estimated total budget of more than $92bn.

Almost all have been announced since the start of 2021, equivalent to nearly two new projects a month. 

Competitive advantage

This sudden surge of interest in hydrogen needs little explanation. Due to its climate, the region enjoys the world’s highest solar irradiation levels, enabling the production of some of the cheapest renewable energy anywhere.

The 600MW Al-Faisaliah independent solar photovoltaic (PV) power project in Saudi Arabia, for instance, currently holds the world record for the lowest renewable energy levelised cost of electricity of just $1.04 cents a kilowatt hour. 

This electricity from renewable sources is used to electrolyse vast amounts of treated and filtered seawater to extract hydrogen, which in turn is processed with air-derived nitrogen to produce the more easily transportable ammonia.

The ammonia can then be liquefied, compressed and exported by ship to the end-user market, where it can be converted back to hydrogen to be used as a clean fuel or utilised as ammonia for fertiliser or other industrial processes.

Other alternatives include converting the hydrogen to methanol, another more easily transportable fuel product, or piping the hydrogen directly to the end user, either for domestic purposes or for export. 

Along with plentiful sunlight, the other main requirement to house the huge solar and wind farms is space, something the region is generally not short of. Oil and gas-importing nations such as Morocco, Ethiopia and South Africa can also benefit from the hydrogen project boom. 

First mover status

Aside from the environmental benefits of green hydrogen as a carbon-free fuel, it also offers the oil-exporting states of the Middle East the tantalising prospect of diversifying their dominant crude production position with hydrogen, thereby safeguarding their economies for decades to come as well as enhancing their geopolitical significance.

Speed of capital investment to drive technological leadership and potentially first-mover advantage is arguably going to be another important factor.

From a demand perspective, there is no doubt about green hydrogen’s potential. Demand in Europe alone is forecast to double to 30 million tonnes a year (t/y) by 2030 and to 95 million t/y by 2050.

Thanks to its geographical position, the Middle East is ideally located to meet this demand either by ship or pipeline. 

Until recently, green hydrogen may not have been considered financially viable. Today, it could be described as an economic necessity

MEA Energy Week insights

The massive potential and development of a green hydrogen production industry was one of five central themes and insights emerging from the Middle East & Africa Energy Week hosted by Siemens Energy in June. 

Yet a live poll of up to 400 delegates as part of Siemens Energy’s Middle East & Africa Energy Transition Readiness Index, produced in partnership with Roland Berger, highlighted that a substantial majority felt that Power-to-X technology – of which hydrogen production is a major component – was slow in meeting its potential. 

To put this into perspective, with the notable exception of the Neom-based Helios project and the pilot green ammonia scheme at Ain Sokhna in Egypt, none of the other 44 announced green hydrogen projects in the region have yet to start work on the ground. Many have not even reached a full investor agreement. 

The principal challenges revolve around financing, supply and power purchase agreements, land allocations and permitting. Ultimately, even with cheap electricity, green hydrogen is still comparatively expensive to produce after factoring in electrolysis, processing and transportation costs.

There is also some debate over whether the end-user market is ready to pay a premium for cleaner fuel or chemical feedstock.

A related poll question among the Energy Week’s attendees underlined this. Of 11 energy priorities presented, Power-to-X solutions were ranked as the lowest priority in terms of the impact on their companies’ achievement of climate targets.

However, this could change rapidly. The Russia-Ukraine crisis has focused European capitals on the pressing need to diversify fuel sources. Until recently, green hydrogen may not have been considered financially viable. Today, it could be described as an economic necessity. 

Transitioning to hydrogen requires huge investment to develop technology, build projects and establish marketplaces that collectively contribute to a cleaner energy future. This coordinated effort by all stakeholders must be supported by policymakers

Nabil al-Nuaim, Saudi Aramco 

Encouraging local demand

Equally important is the development of local hydrogen demand. To date, few formal policies or strategies have been announced to stimulate a market for domestic demand, reflected by the fact that almost all of the planned green hydrogen projects pipeline are export orientated.

While this export focus may make sense commercially, there was unanimity among the event’s participants that more could be done to encourage home-grown demand. 

“Transitioning to hydrogen requires huge investment to develop technology, build projects and establish marketplaces that collectively contribute to a cleaner energy future,” said Saudi Aramco’s chief digital officer, Nabil al-Nuaim. “This coordinated effort by all stakeholders must be supported by policymakers to achieve success.”

This view was echoed by Khaled Sharbatly, CEO of solar PV panel manufacturer and power developer Desert Technologies. “We need to accelerate the growth of energy in Africa, accelerate energy storage and innovation, and build a regulatory framework where everyone is in sync,” he said.

The development of regulations and policy reforms to provide impetus will be vital for the market to grow, as will associated strategies such as introducing carbon pricing, reducing electricity subsidies, unbundling power networks and incentivising electric vehicle usage. 

If it fails to do so, the region may miss the opportunity to capitalise on hydrogen’s potential to create jobs and a local manufacturing industry, diversify economies, and, most importantly, reduce carbon emissions and achieve net zero.

Click here to visit Siemens Energy 
 
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/9927113/main.gif
MEED Editorial

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Israel ramps up gas exports to Egypt

    7 April 2026

    Israel’s gas flows to Egypt have returned to pre-war levels after restarting on 4 April, helping to ease the ongoing gas shortage in the North African country.

    Around 1.1 billion cubic feet a day is being transported by pipeline from Israel’s Leviathan and Tamar gas fields, according to a Bloomberg report.

    This is the same level that was being transported prior to Israel shutting down production from its offshore gas fields due to security concerns, and halting flows to Egypt on 28 February.

    Despite having its own gas reserves, Egypt is a net importer of natural gas and has been impacted by the surge in global prices since the US and Israel started their war with Iran.

    Last month, Egypt increased the prices of several petroleum products and natural gas for vehicles due to higher global energy prices.

    On 9 March, Egypt raised the price of natural gas for vehicles by 30% to E£13 ($0.25) a cubic metre.

    Egypt’s Petroleum & Mineral Resources Ministry said the increase was introduced due to “exceptional circumstances” resulting from geopolitical developments in the Middle East and their direct impact on global energy markets.

    It said that the regional conflict had led to a significant increase in import and domestic production costs.

    Egypt, the Middle East and North Africa region’s biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) importer, is facing uncertainty over its LNG supplies in the coming months.

    Between March 2025 and February 2026, Egypt imported 9,440 kilotonnes of LNG, with the majority purchased under short-term agreements, mainly with third parties such as trading houses.

    Last year, it was reported that Egypt had signed deals for around 150 cargoes through to the summer of 2026.

    READ THE APRIL 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    Economic shock threatens long-term outlook; Riyadh adjusts to fiscal and geopolitical risk; GCC contractor ranking reflects gigaprojects slowdown.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the April 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

    > GCC CONTRACTOR RANKING: Construction guard undergoes a shift
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16280784/main.jpg
    Wil Crisp
  • Egypt gas sector activity surges amid regional conflict

    7 April 2026

     

    There is a surge of activity in Egypt’s gas sector as investors pour money into boosting domestic production and the country makes deals to leverage its existing liquefied natural gas (LNG) export infrastructure.

    The increase in activity has come as the disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz continues to prevent the shipment of around 20% of the world’s LNG supplies to consumer nations.

    While Egypt remains a net importer of natural gas, its geographical position, significant gas reserves and existing infrastructure, including two LNG export terminals, mean it can potentially capitalise on the current supply crunch.

    Harmattan development

    On 6 April, Arcius announced the final investment decision (FID) to develop the Harmattan gas field offshore Egypt.

    Arcius is a joint venture between UK-based BP and the UAE’s Adnoc, focused on developing gas assets in Egypt and the wider Eastern Mediterranean.

    The company acquired the El-Burg offshore concession area, which includes the Harmattan field, in February.

    An engineering, procurement, installation and commissioning (EPIC) contract for the project has been awarded to Egypt’s Enppi, while Cairo-based Petrojet and Petroleum Marine Services (PMS) have been awarded work as subcontractors.

    In a statement, Naser Al-Yafei, the chief executive of Arcius, said: “The FID to develop the Harmattan field marks an important milestone in advancing one of our first projects in Egypt toward production.”

    Idku LNG

    UK-based Shell also held a meeting with Egypt’s Petroleum Minister Karim Badawi recently, with talks focusing on increasing domestic natural gas production and utilising the Idku LNG export terminal.

    The terminal has a nameplate capacity of 7.2 million tonnes a year, but is not currently operated at full capacity.

    The Idku facility is owned by a consortium of companies, with Shell and Malaysia’s Petronas holding the biggest stakes.

    Gas corridor

    On 30 March, Egypt signed a natural gas cooperation agreement with Cyprus, laying the groundwork for a regional gas corridor that will allow Nicosia to transport its gas to Egypt to use its export infrastructure.

    The signing ceremony took place on the sidelines of a conference in Cairo, where both parties agreed to cooperate on the development and exploitation of gas resources.

    The text of the agreement focused on technical and commercial aspects of the deal, establishing a basis for future negotiations.

    Under the agreed terms, Cyprus’ gas will be processed in Egypt’s liquefaction facilities before being shipped to export markets.

    The agreement built on a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in February last year, in which Egypt agreed to buy gas from Cyprus’ Aphrodite field.

    Block 6

    It is also expected that Italy’s Eni, which operates Cyprus’ Block 6 concession with France’s TotalEnergies, will announce FID for the development of the Kronos field in the coming weeks.

    The field has reserves of 3.1 trillion cubic feet and, under current plans, the field’s gas will be transported to Egypt via pipeline before being exported from Egypt’s Damietta LNG terminal.

    Future investment

    As a net importer of natural gas, Egypt faces short-term economic problems due to the current high-price environment, forcing the country to pay more for energy imports.

    While this is a major setback for the country and is likely to erode its foreign currency reserves over the coming months, the current global shortage of natural gas could lead to increased investment in the country’s oil and gas sector.

    This could accelerate existing project plans within the sector as well as the development of new projects.

    READ THE APRIL 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    Economic shock threatens long-term outlook; Riyadh adjusts to fiscal and geopolitical risk; GCC contractor ranking reflects gigaprojects slowdown.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the April 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

    > GCC CONTRACTOR RANKING: Construction guard undergoes a shift
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16280782/main.jpg
    Wil Crisp
  • Adnoc Gas and Borouge facilities suffer Iranian attacks

    6 April 2026

    Debris from Iranian drones intercepted by the UAE’s air defence systems has caused damage at the Habshan gas processing facility operated by Adnoc Gas in Abu Dhabi, killing one person on site, as well as at the petrochemicals complex operated by Borouge.

    In a disclosure to the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) on 5 April, Adnoc Gas, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc Group), said debris resulting from a successful interception by UAE air defences in the area caused damage to a limited number of facilities within the Habshan gas complex on 3 April.

    The incident resulted in the death of an engineer working at the facility for Egyptian contractor Petrojet during evacuation. Four other contractors sustained minor injuries and were discharged from hospital after receiving treatment.

    Specialised teams were immediately dispatched to isolate the affected area and begin a comprehensive assessment of the damage to the production line, which is ongoing, Adnoc Gas said.

    “We are profoundly saddened by the loss of life and extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased. Our thoughts are also with the injured colleagues, and we wish them a full and speedy recovery. The safety, security and wellbeing of our people remains our highest priority,” Fatema Al-Nuaimi, CEO of Adnoc Gas, said in the filing.

    “We remain committed to delivering shareholder value. Our balance-sheet strength and capital discipline support the resilience of the company,” she added.

    Adnoc Gas further said it is meeting domestic demand in the UAE through other facilities, with no impact on customer supply. “The company continues to actively collaborate with international customers and partners where needed,” it said in its disclosure.

    The Habshan gas processing facility has been attacked at least twice in March during Iran’s ongoing war with Israel and the US.

    Borouge incident

    Authorities in Abu Dhabi reported fire damage at Borouge’s main petrochemical facility caused by fragments from a drone interception falling on the complex on 5 April. No injuries were reported, the Abu Dhabi Media Office said.

    “Production activity in affected areas has been suspended following the incident whilst damage assessment and repairs are carried out,” the company said in a filing with ADX on 6 April.

    The company also highlighted market conditions. “A global shortage of polyolefins is driving a strong recovery in prices in March, which has continued in April,” it said.

    Borouge said it remains financially positioned to manage near-term impact. “Borouge retains significant financial resilience to navigate short-term operational disruption due to its strong cash generation and significant available liquidity.”

    Borouge pointed to strong operating performance heading into the disruption. “In the first quarter of 2026, Borouge achieved high utilisation rates and was able to sell a significant proportion of its production during the month of March via alternative routes,” the statement said.

    ALSO READ: Sultan Al-Jaber calls Strait of Hormuz blockade “economic terrorism”
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16273020/main1639.jpg
    Indrajit Sen
  • Bapco Energies reports Iranian drone attack on facility

    6 April 2026

    Bahrain’s state energy conglomerate, Bapco Energies, said a fire broke out at one of its storage facilities following a drone strike, in the latest attack by Iran on the kingdom’s energy and industrial assets amid its ongoing war with Israel and the US.

    The tank fire, which resulted from the 5 April drone attack, has been fully extinguished and the situation is under control, Bapco Energies said.

    The state enterprise said the attack caused no injuries, adding that it is assessing the damage.

    “Emergency response teams acted immediately, working closely with the Civil Defence and relevant authorities to contain the incident and safeguard the site. The safety of our employees remains a top priority,” Bapco Energies said in its statement.

    This is understood to be at least the third major Iranian attack on a Bahraini energy complex, after Bapco Energies declared force majeure across its operations last month following two missile strikes on the Sitra oil refinery on 5 and 9 March.

    READ THE APRIL 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    Economic shock threatens long-term outlook; Riyadh adjusts to fiscal and geopolitical risk; GCC contractor ranking reflects gigaprojects slowdown.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the April 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

    > GCC CONTRACTOR RANKING: Construction guard undergoes a shift
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here

     

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16271286/main.jpeg
    Indrajit Sen
  • Large-scale IPPs drive UAE power market

    6 April 2026

     

    State utility Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec) recently announced it had received four bids for the development of the 3.3GW Al-Nouf independent power producer (IPP) project in Abu Dhabi.

    The facility is scheduled to be one of at least four major IPP projects to reach contract award this year as the IPP procurement model becomes increasingly popular in the UAE for large-scale power generation projects.

    The four IPP projects include the planned 2.5GW Taweelah C combined-cycle gas turbine plant, the 1.5GW Al-Zarraf solar photovoltaic (PV) plant and the 1.5GW Madinat Zayed open-cycle gas turbine plant.

    As of the beginning of April, these accounted for $9.3bn, or 92%, of total power projects under bid evaluation. To put that into context, the UAE’s power market recorded its highest annual total for contract awards on record in 2025, with $11.8bn in confirmed awards.

    Three of these were IPP projects, making up $8.1bn, or 69%, of total awards. In 2024, that number was lower again, with just one IPP project accounting for 26% of total power awards.

    The last time contract awards surpassed $5bn was in 2018, when the Hamriyah combined-cycle plant accounted for 21%.

    IPP awards

    Among recent awards, a consortium of France’s Engie and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) signed a contract in November to develop the 1.5GW Khazna solar PV IPP. 

    A month previously, Etihad Water & Electricity (EtihadWE) and South Korea’s Kepco won the award to develop a 400MW battery energy storage system (bess) project following the same IPP model.

    That same month, Abu Dhabi’s landmark $6bn solar plant and 19GWh bess project entered construction, with Larsen & Toubro (India) and Power China working as contractors.

    This project can be considered somewhat of an outlier, inflating the total value of awards in 2025. Otherwise, power contract awards remained broadly in line with the $5.7bn-worth of contract awards the year before.

    Project pipeline

    Looking further into the pipeline, the trend looks set to continue, with two IPP projects currently under main contract bidding, representing almost all of the $3.7bn-worth of projects at this stage.

    The first, and by far, the largest concerns the seventh phase of Dubai Electricity & Water Authority’s (Dewa) Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Solar Park, which is estimated to cost $3.4bn.

    Phase seven will add 2,000MW from PV solar panels and include a 1,400MW bess with a six-hour capacity.

    The other relates to the Al-Sila wind IPP, a greenfield renewable energy project with a generation capacity of up to 140MW. When fully operational, it will more than double the existing wind generation capacity in the UAE.

    Five of the six IPP projects in the pipeline are being procured by Abu Dhabi’s Ewec, which also continues to advance its solar PV programme as part of plans to reach 10GW of capacity by 2030.

    The offtaker told MEED that, following the groundbreaking of the Abu Dhabi bess project, also known as PV5, it has been seeking government approvals to release a request for proposals for PV6 and PV7. If all goes according to plan, the expression of interest process should be launched soon.

    Transmission

    Beyond generation, there remains a steady flow of transmission infrastructure investment, led by Taqa Transmission, which awarded $830m across 11 grid projects last year.

    The largest of these involves a $240m contract to build three 400kV substations in Abu Dhabi. Larsen & Toubro, Germany’s Siemens Energy and Japan’s Toshiba are working as the main contractor.

    Total power transmission contracts reached $2.8bn in 2025, a slight increase from $2.5bn the year before.

    Transmission and distribution upgrades have become central to maintaining grid stability and integrating intermittent renewables. Ewec and Taqa are expanding 400kV and 132kV networks across Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates, while Dewa continues to reinforce its cable and substation systems in Dubai. These works are vital precursors to the next phase of large-scale solar and battery storage integration.

    Waste-to-energy

    Waste-to-energy (WTE) is becoming an increasingly important part of the UAE’s infrastructure pipeline as the country seeks to reduce landfill dependence and diversify its power mix through alternative generation sources.

    In Ajman, Ajman Sewerage Private Company is progressing the fourth-phase expansion of its sewerage system, which includes the flagship sludge-to-energy (S2E) facility. Belgium’s Besix has been appointed as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor.

    In Sharjah, Emirates Waste to Energy Company, a joint venture of Beeah Group and Tadweer Group, is planning the second phase of its WTE treatment plant. The estimated $200m expansion is expected to almost double the facility’s annual output to 60MW, while increasing processing capacity to 600,000 tonnes of hard-to-recycle waste a year.

    It is understood that a consortium led by Samsung E&A and China Everbright Environment Group has submitted the lowest bid, with a contract award expected in the coming months.

    Meanwhile, Dubai Municipality issued a tender in February for consultancy services related to the second phase of the Warsan WTE Plant. The scheme is estimated to cost $500m and follows the emirate’s first major WTE public-private partnership project, which entered full commercial operations in 2024.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16270109/main.gif
    Mark Dowdall