The Arab Gulf states occupy an advanced position on the list of countries producing and exporting the global hydrogen, amid bets on the wide size of the hydrogen trade with increased production and the expansion of its uses in the sectors of industry and transportation and others, and this trade records an annual increase of 71% in the year 2024 compared to the year 2023, with a total deals of 300 million dollars annually, according to a report by the International Renewable Energy Agency “IRENA” (Irena).
We have recently seen an increase in the successful models of progress towards making the Gulf a center for hydrogen trade and production. Oman has recently signed economic agreements with the Netherlands in the field of luxury hydrogen and the development of the infrastructure for the transport of hydrogen and carbon dioxide through pipelines, to create the first commercial corridor for the export of liquefied hydrogen in the world linking Oman and the Netherlands Germany, as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Germany signed a memorandum of understanding the “Saudi -German Bridge Green Hydrogen”, in addition to that the UAE accounts for 25% of the global hydrogen market in 2030 and it owns the first station in the Middle East to produce green hydrogen.
The Kingdom of Bahrain puts steady steps towards the transformation into a major player in the hydrogen market, so the development of this industry is closely related to the plan to reach the zero neutrality by 2060, and this path is compatible with renewable energy strategies that aim to provide electricity needs from clean sources.
With adequate investments, Bahrain will be able to turn into a global source of clean energy, with its strategic location between major markets, long experience in the energy industry, an attractive business environment for foreign investment, and qualified human cadres in the oil and industrial sector, and this shift will not only achieve environmental goals, but will provide thousands of new jobs, and attract qualitative investments to enhance economic diversity.
A study of “Deloitte” expected that the Middle East, specifically the Arab Gulf states, would be able to export half of the green hydrogen production by 2030, and although North African and Australia countries are stronger and broader, the Gulf states will be at the forefront by 2050, according to the study.
The Gulf states are able to achieve more successes and achievements in this field. The Gulf region has a strong connection with the advanced economies in Europe, and the ports and infrastructure network of pipelines for the region provides the possibility of reaching fast -growing markets in Asia and Africa.
In fact, hydrogen acquires an increased momentum in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, especially as it seeks to develop national strategies aimed at developing the hydrogen market in the region and rehabilitating itself to export hydrogen in the future, as the region has many competitive advantages that enables it to play a major role even in the global green hydrogen economy, it has the ingredients that make it a pioneer in the field of hydrogen production, in addition to It has a high global solar brightness, and many sites throughout the region are witnessing strong winds of winds to produce reliable renewable electricity.
