







On June 1, 2025, in the Duqm Special Economic Zone of Oman, the million-ton-scale green ammonia project by China's Shuangliang Group and India's ACME Group officially broke ground. This $1.7 billion mega-project marks a critical turning point for Oman's national hydrogen strategy, transitioning from paper planning to large-scale implementation.
Oman's Ministry of Energy outlined a clear roadmap in the *National Hydrogen Strategy 2050* released in 2024:
graph TD
A[Resource Monetization] --> A1(Idle Deserts → Energy Bases)
A --> A2(Sunlight Advantage → Low-Cost Green Electricity)
B[Economic Transformation] --> B1(Reduce Oil and Gas Dependency from 68% to 35%)
B --> B2(Create 200,000 Jobs)
C[Geopolitical Hub] --> C1(Asia-Europe-Africa Hydrogen Trade Transit Hub)
C --> C2(Global Hydrogen Supply Share ≥7%)
Oman's National Hydrogen Company (Hydrom) oversees the entire landscape through a tripartite separation of powers mechanism:
Land Control: Divides deserts into 50×50 km² blocks for tender (6 blocks currently released)
Pricing Authority: Innovates the HyFix fee model (land rent + green hydrogen production share)
Infrastructure Dominance: Unified planning of port/pipeline network infrastructure
2025 Milestones:
Two Rounds of Tenders Awarded: 12 international companies secured 8 million tons of green hydrogen capacity (equivalent to Germany's 2030 target)
Project Distribution Map:
https://example.com/oman-h2-projects-map.png [Note: This is a schematic location]
Indicator |
Parameter |
Industry Significance |
Total Investment |
$1.7 billion |
Oman's largest single foreign-invested hydrogen energy project |
Green Ammonia Capacity |
1 million tons/year in Phase 1 |
Can meet 20% of Germany's green ammonia import demand |
Green Hydrogen Source |
4GW PV + 1.2GW electrolyzers |
Achieves "electricity-hydrogen-ammonia" integration |
Localization Rate Requirement |
35% (to be achieved by 2027) |
Forces local rooting of the industry chain |
Technology Transfer: Shuangliang will transfer electrolyzer technology to the Duqm Free Zone
Market Binding: ACME secures a 600,000 tons/year off-take agreement with Japan's Marubeni
Infrastructure Drive: Builds Oman's first hydrogen pipeline network (Duqm-Sohar section)
1. Water Resource Constraints
2. Power Grid Challenges
3. Talent Gap
(1) Dual-Track Strategy |
Dimension |
Defensive Strategy (Countering Saudi Arabia) |
Offensive Strategy (Expanding Advantages) |
Cost Control |
Implement tiered electricity price subsidies ($1.2¢/kWh for green hydrogen projects) |
Innovate the HyFix flexible revenue-sharing model |
Infrastructure Efficiency |
Establish a "fast track" for foreign-invested projects (approval reduced to 90 days) |
Sovereign fund guarantees infrastructure PPP projects |
Certification System |
Accelerate EU mutual recognition of the OmanGH2 standard |
(2) Strengthening Differentiated Competitive Advantages
Shipping Cost Differential: $18/mt lower freight to Rotterdam than Saudi Arabia
Carbon Tax Penetration: World's first country to mandate green hydrogen carbon footprint certification
Application Scenario Innovation:
Green steel project with Germany's ThyssenKrupp (to commence production in 2026)
(2) Potential Risk Alerts
A[Geopolitical Risk] --> B(Yemen conflict affects hydrogen pipelines)
C[Technology Iteration] --> D(Solid oxide electrolyzers disrupt existing technologies)
Conclusion: The Hydrogen Dialectic of a Desert Oasis
As Shuangliang Group's pile driver pounds into Duqm's red earth, Oman's green transformation is undergoing a qualitative shift from blueprint to reality. This nation, once reliant on oil and gas, is now forging a new energy lifeline in its sun-scorched deserts. The essence of the green hydrogen economy is not merely a competition of resource endowments, but a marathon of institutional innovation and perseverance in execution. Facing Saudi Arabia's capital dominance and Europe's technological barriers, Oman has chosen a unique middle path—using the state-led Hydrom mechanism as a shield and open, inclusive international cooperation as a spear.
As Energy Minister Salim al-Aufi stated at the groundbreaking ceremony, "We are not just selling hydrogen; we are selling tickets to an industrial revolution powered by desert sunlight." The ultimate value of these tickets will be revealed over the next five years.
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