US-based H2 Industries has signed a preliminary agreement with Oman's Public Establishment For Industrial Estates (Madayn) to build a $1.4bn waste-to-hydrogen plant in Oman.
The first-of-its-kind facility in the Mideast Gulf will produce an estimated 67,000 t/yr of green hydrogen and 1mn t/yr of CO2 by converting 1mn t/yr of municipal waste using emission-free processes. H2 Industries estimates that the hydrogen and CO2 will have an annual export value of $268mn. The company said the project may eventually be scaled up to convert up to 4mn t/yr of waste.
The green hydrogen produced at the facility would either be sold and transported for international use or be used to create low-cost synthetic diesel or sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), depending on market demand. H2 Industries said the facility will be built on a coastal site in Oman, but it did not specify where.
Once the pre-development and permitting phase is completed, the facility should be in a position to begin producing hydrogen in approximately 30 months. The project will be powered by a 300MW capacity photovoltaic (PV) solar plant that will also include a 70MW electrical storage facility.
"The $1.4bn investment into Oman will make a substantial contribution to the country's waste management strategy and demonstrates how fighting climate change and enhancing environmental protection can go hand in hand and benefit all stakeholders," said H2 Industries executive chairman Michael Stusch.
It is one of several green energy projects planned in Oman in the coming years. Meanwhile, H2 Industries said earlier this year that it received preliminary approval for a waste-to-hydrogen production plant at Egypt's East Port Said industrial park next to the Mediterranean entrance of the Suez Canal.
