(ANSAmed) – NAPLES, MAY 18 – The United Arab Emirates has
commissioned its first hydrogen plant to provide clean energy
for public transportation during Expo Dubai, which officially
starts in October this year.
The announcement was made by Energy and Infrastructure Minister
Suhail Al Mazrouei to the UAE daily The National.
The hydrogen plant will supply the fuel to “certain buses [and]
cars that will be used during Expo”, Suhail Al Mazrouei told
reporters during a press conference announcing the launch of
World Utilities Congress in Abu Dhabi.
“Dubai, in collaboration with Germany’s Siemens Energy company,
is developing a solar-powered electrolyser to produce hydrogen
for fuel cells at Expo 2020 Dubai, which was delayed until this
year due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” The National wrote.
The UAE, OPEC’s third-largest oil producer, “is aiming to tap
into the potential of hydrogen by becoming an exporter. The
country formed an alliance involving three of its state-backed
entities – Mubadala, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, and holding
company ADQ – to produce green and blue hydrogen,” it added.
The blue energy will come from steam-methane reforming.
Masdar, a town near the airport that has been called the “green
city”, is already testing hydrogen on some transport vehicles as
part of a step forward in the UAE’s plan to provide for 50% of
its energy needs through renewable sources by 2050.
“Globally, the hydrogen industry is expected to grow to $183
billion by 2023, from $129bn in 2017, according to Fitch
Solutions. French investment bank Natixis estimates that
investments in hydrogen will exceed $300bn by 2030,” the UAE
daily noted.(ANSAmed).
