Meed | Oman offers 300 square kilometres in hydrogen land auction

Oman offers 300 square kilometres in hydrogen land auction

30 April 2025

Oman is offering interested green hydrogen and derivatives developers 300 square kilometres of land in Duqm under the third round of its hydrogen land block auction programme.

Hydrogen Oman (Hydrom), the sultanate's green hydrogen projects orchestrator, launched the third round of its auction at a virtual event on 30 April.

Abdulaziz Said Al-Shidhani, Hydrom managing director, confirmed on the same day the availability of the request for qualification (RFQ) documents that interested bidders can download from the round three auction website.

A land block of up to 300 square kilometres has been offered in Duqm, inviting proposals for projects covering a minimum of 100 square kilometres, Hydrom said.

It added: "Bidders will have flexibility in defining their project footprint within the block, enabling tailored configurations that align with individual development strategies and market requirements."

Hydrom expects to issue the request for proposals in June and receive final bids for the contracts by the end of January 2026.

This timeline will provide "ample time for comprehensive project planning", said Al-Shidani.

For this round, developers may also explore the sale of surplus renewable electricity to the national grid, subject to regulatory approvals, maximising project value and integration into Oman's wider energy transition framework, according to Hydrom.

Hydrom aims to attract firms that fit the following profiles in its third-round auction:

International, regional and local renewable developers
Financial partners
Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and hydrogen equipment providers (OEMs)
Strategic offtakers and investors
Infrastructure developers

Hydrom has so far awarded several land blocks for green hydrogen projects since it started the auctions in 2023.

Five projects in Duqm have been awarded to the following firms:

Amnah: A consortium comprised of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Blue Power Partners and Al-Khadra, part of Oman’s Hind Bahwan Group. The project is expected to develop approximately 200,000 tonnes a year (t/y) of green hydrogen from 4.5GW of installed renewable energy capacity for planned green steel plants located in the Port of Duqm, within the Special Economic Zone at Duqm (Sezad)
Green Energy Oman: A consortium comprised of Oman’s integrated Energy Company OQ, Shell Oman, Kuwait's state-backed energy investor EnerTech, Singapore-based InterContinental Energy and Golden Wellspring Wealth for Trading. This project will produce 150,000 t/y of green hydrogen from 4GW of installed renewables capacity
BP Duqm Hydrogen: This project has an anticipated annual production of 150,000 t/y of green hydrogen from 3.5GW of installed renewables capacity for ammonia production and export.
HyDuqm (Hydrogen Duqm): A consortium comprised of South Korea's Posco and France's Engie, MESCAT Middle East, Samsung Engineering, Futuretech Energy Ventures, Korea East-West Power and Korea Southern Power. This project is expected to produce more than 200,000 t/y of green hydrogen by 2030, utilising over 5.2GW of combined wind and solar energy to produce and export ammonia
Hyport Coordination Company: A consortium consisting of OQ Alternative Energy, Belgium's Deme Concessions and BP Oman. This project will produce more than 50 t/y of green hydrogen by 2029 in its first phase

The three land block projects that have been awarded in Salalah are:

Salalah H2: A consortium comprised of OQ AE, Japan's Marubeni Corporation, UAE-based Dutco Overseas and South Korea's Samsung C&T. One of the so-called legacy Initiatives that signed term sheets in March 2023, the project is set to produce over 1 million t/y of green ammonia, with an expected production of over 175,000 t/y of green hydrogen.
EDF, J Power, Yamnah: A consortium consisting of France's EDF Group, Japan's J-POWER and UK-based Yamna, which aims to produce approximately 178,000 t/y of green hydrogen by 2030, using approximately 4.5GW of wind and solar energy coupled with battery storage and approximately 2.5GW of electrolysers.
Actis – Fortescue: The project will involve the construction of up to 4.5GW of wind and solar renewable energy resources that will power electrolysers with the potential to produce up to 200,000 t/y of green hydrogen a year.

Oman’s comprehensive energy transition efforts also include the development of a dedicated 2,000-kilometre hydrogen pipeline as well as the establishment of the world’s first liquid hydrogen export corridor linking Oman to the Netherlands and Germany and onwards to Europe.

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Jennifer Aguinaldo

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Jedco has recently awarded several significant contracts linked to the airport’s upgrade programme.

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Located on King Khalid Road along Medina’s Third Ring Road, the teaching hospital will have a capacity of 563 beds.

The contract duration is three years, with delivery targeted for late 2029.

The latest award follows a prolonged procurement cycle that began more than a decade ago as part of a public budget drive to expand Saudi Arabia’s higher education infrastructure.

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Progress stalled shortly thereafter due to reported structural delays and the reallocation of public capital budgets across the kingdom’s social infrastructure pipeline.

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

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

> AGENDA: Gulf nuclear revival takes shape

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> INTERVIEW: Emsteel persists with business productivity and efficiency

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Oman’s Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (Madayn) has tendered an estimated RO15m ($39m) contract to develop infrastructure for Thumrait Industrial City.

The tender was issued on 14 September, with bids due by 12 November.

The scope covers site-wide utilities and services, including an internal road network, stormwater channels and culverts. It also includes installing sewerage and water networks, along with landscaping works.

In addition, Madayn intends to build plug-and-play industrial units and a facilities building.

The first phase of the development will cover about 120,000 square metres (sq m).

Thumrait Industrial City is located in Oman’s Dhofar Governorate and spans an area of more than four million sq m.

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According to media reports, Madayn chief executive Dawood Bin Salim Al-Hadabi said the programme is part of an expanded, phased plan aligned with Oman Vision 2040 and the authority’s long-term Madayn 2040 strategy.

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State-owned upstream operator Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) has reduced the number of approved contractors for onshore drilling and shallow-well maintenance from 51 to 24.

Firms that are no longer qualified include major contractors such as Italy’s Saipem, Oklahoma-based Helmerich & Payne and Houston-based Patterson-UTI Energy.

The latest list still includes a wide range of Kuwaiti, regional and international companies, according to the latest update on its electronic system, published on 21 September 2026.

The full list of contractors that are now qualified to participate in tenders is:
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- Arabian Drilling Company (Saudi Arabia)
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- China Oilfield Services (China)
- Egyptian Drilling Company (Egypt)
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- Kerui Oilfield Service (China)
- KCA Deutag Drilling (Germany)
- Mohammed Al-Barwani Petroleum Services (Oman)
- Nabors Drilling International (US)
- National Drilling & Services Company (Oman)
- Sea & Land Drilling Contractors (Oman)
- Sinopec International Petroleum Service Corporation (China)
- Karamay Jianye Energy (China)
- Modern Drilling Company (Egypt)
- Grey Wolf Drilling International (US)
An earlier list, which was published on 11 February, included 51 qualified companies.

The reduction in qualified drilling contractors follows KOC’s notice on 27 April this year, informing existing qualified contractors that they would need to reapply.
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Wil Crisp

Abu Dhabi expects 45% emissions cut as electricity demand rises

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Abu Dhabi-based Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec) expects carbon emissions from power and water production to fall by more than 45% by 2035 as the UAE expands renewable energy and reverse osmosis (RO) desalination.

The state offtaker's latest long-term system planning forecasts emissions will decline from about 42 million tonnes in 2019 to approximately 23 million tonnes in 2035.

The reduction is expected despite annual electricity demand that is forecast to rise by about 70% in 2026-33.

Ewec said the expansion of renewable energy and the shift towards RO desalination will be the principal drivers of the reduction.

The company plans to increase Abu Dhabi's solar capacity to 14GW by 2030 and more than 35GW by 2035. This will be supported by up to 15GW of battery storage capacity.

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It also comprises the 1GW Al-Dhafra open-cycle gas turbine power plant, the 2.5GW Taweelah C combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant and a separate 400MW bess IPP.

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The offtaker also expects RO desalination to account for more than 95% of total water production by 2035, with the procurement programme supporting the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy's Clean Energy Strategic Target 2035 for electricity production and the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategy.