Oman pledges net zero emissions by 2050

Oman's ruler, sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said, has signed a royal decree approving the country's pledge to reach net zero emissions by 2050. This makes Oman the fourth country in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) to set a net zero goal.

Oman drafted a national plan and has set up an Oman Sustainability Centre that will supervise and follow up on zero-carbon emission plans and programmes. No further details about the plan or timelines were disclosed.

Until now, Oman's commitment to the Paris Agreement — the international treaty on climate change — came in the form of a target to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 7pc relative to a business-as-usual scenario by 2030. But the country's biggest hydrocarbon producer, state-controlled PDO, last year pledged to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Oman's efforts to decarbonise encompass plans to build a number of utility-scale solar and wind renewable-power projects to help deliver its goal of producing at least 20pc of its electricity from renewable sources by 2027. The country is also actively working on developing a hydrogen industry, and has signed a number of hydrogen and ammonia production and offtake agreements with foreign investors since May 2021.

Oman is also exploring carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) opportunities.

Oman's pledge comes just weeks before the UN's Cop 27 climate conference in Egypt. Cop 28 will also be held in the region, hosted by the UAE. It was the first Mideast Gulf country to announce a net zero target, in October 2021. It was followed by Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, which pledged to reach net zero emissions by 2060.

By Ieva Paldaviciute