Oman Hydrogen Centre OHC
Research, Technology, Education, Application and Economy
Driving Oman’s success in the future hydrogen economy
The Role of the Oman Hydrogen Centre
Shaping Oman’s role within the global energy transition
Enabling and bundling Oman’s Competences for a “Green Hydrogen” Economy. The Oman Hydrogen Centre is established at GUtech as an International Competence Hub for Research, Technology, Education, Industries Applications and Economy.
Vision
The global energy transition requires a shift from under-the-ground fossil energy sources to above-the-ground renewable sources such as solar and wind with green hydrogen as the energy carrier and clean industrial base material of a future economy.
Triggered by the undeniable challenges posed by climate change, the use of the fossil resources oil and gas is undergoing a worldwide structural change.
This is a major opportunity for Oman playing a leading role in the global change in the energy industry.
Renewable energy and with it the ongoing electrification of industrial, mobile and civil applications are increasingly displacing fossil fuels with the aim of reducing CO2 emissions. Green hydrogen is the determining factor of success in enabling this process.
Oman is perfectly positioned to develop a hydrogen economy at an early stage and become a global player in the fast growing global hydrogen business opportunities due to its high solar energy density, its geographical location, sufficient usable land area and its high level of energy industry competence.
The future for Oman in this lies in its own system competence, sound technological knowledge and new economic models.
Mission
Developing competences in the field of a hydrogen-based economy in cooperation with local and international parties and align activities between industry, academic, government and society.
The mission of the Centre is to develop competences in the field of a hydrogen-based economy in cooperation with local and international parties specialised in research, technology, education, industry applications and economy as well as a focused creation of added in-country values leading ultimately to new job opportunities in Oman.
“Therefore it is important to align the actions between the different stakeholders in Oman: the industry, academia, government and society” (Centre Founding quote).
This will be achieved by establishing local and international long-term partnerships in education and research leading to transfer, adaption and proprietary development of technology, piloting technologies and in-country-value creation.
Future-oriented thinking and careful adaption of current global experiences are critical success factors. An academic team with transdisciplinary and intercultural mindsets integrates technology, economy, society and political factors. This and the Centre’s focus on connecting competence building with actual green hydrogen projects in Oman drives and accelerates the successful path towards a Hydrogen Economy.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the Centre
One of the most prolific tools to measure actions that promote prosperity while protecting the planet are the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The activities of the Oman Hydrogen Centre are in line with the basic concept of the SDGs. This is reflected in the work with students, the research topics and the industrial projects.
The Centre’s work has a particular focus on these SDG topics.
Competence development, technology training, academic education, research & development, open international cooperations, intercultural collaboration
Green desalination, sustainable industrial water management, protection of water resources, protection of ocean course, protection of coastal vegetation, wastewater management
Only renewable energy (wind, sun, hydro) transformation, replacing fossil energy carriers, green H2 for future energy carrier
International standards for operation & security, building & operation of green H2 infrastructure, renewable energy storage & transportation, energy transition from fossil to renewable
Zero C02 emission industry development
Activities
Segments
An important element of the Centre’s structure is the integration, cooperation and project work with national and international partners from Research, Industry, Institutions and Government. This integration will be realised on different levels of commitment and joint activities.
The activities of the Centre are grouped in four fields:
Research Focus
Hydrogen is used both as an energy carrier and as an industrial feedstock. This results in a very broad field of work with interdependencies that must be considered in the context of an integrated system view.
From this perspective, the Oman Hydrogen Centre is focused on Oman specific topics of the hydrogen-based energy transition and is developing a roadmap for related research and development work in order to support recommendations for an implementation roadmap for Oman.
The Centre contributes with own research activities in close cooperation with academic and industrial partners.
The main R&D areas are:
- Hydrogen usage in local industry (brownfield and greenfield)
- Develop simulation models for an Oman hydrogen economic system involving renewable energy generation, management and storage, hydrogen production, transport and storage
- Optimizing hydrogen generation in respect to the special local conditions – climate, water, dust and location
- Identifying suitable local and international renewable energy transport systems
- Examining renewable energy storage systems such as caverns, pumped hydro or CSP Tower
- Industrial application fields of green hydrogen for ammonia, methanol, steel, gas grid injection or synfuel
- Green hydrogen and derivate certification
- Evaluation of environmental impact of the technologies
GUtech Hydrogen World
In the medium term, the Centre develops its own small-scale hydrogen generation plant which utilises sun energy and sea water, the “GUtech Hydrogen World”. The plant will be used for research as well as for training of students and participation of workshops. The students will get practical experience and skills in design, construct and operate hydrogen end2end systems. Some special applications of green hydrogen will be realised to demonstrate the complete value chain of the hydrogen economy for Oman. This is to guarantee that education is kept on the most advanced level of knowledge in this field.
Project Overview
Further information available on request
Analysis of current Oman grey hydrogen production capacities
Oct 2020
Currently 3600 t/d of Grey Hydrogen are produced in Oman for the production of Ammonia, Urea, Formaldehyde and for Hydrogeneration. This results in the emission of 39.000t/d CO2 which corresponds to 23% of the total CO2 Emissions of Oman (own research results)
Papers, Press Review, Corporate News
Articles, Papers, Statements
Oman sets off to become a hydrogen society
The interest shown by numerous local and international investors to invest in green hydrogen, the establishment of center-of-excellence institutions, such as the Oman Hydrogen Centre at GUtech university, as well as Oman’s geostrategic location and vast experience in the energy sector create a strong market edge for the country to overcome the associated challenges of tapping into emerging energy markets and expand its energy portfolio.
Press Review
Inauguration of the Oman Hydrogen Centre
Jan 2020
Oman Hydrogen Centre was opened at the premises of German University of Technology, Oman, under the auspices of Eng. Azza bint Sulaiman al-Isma’eeli, Minister of Technology and Communications.
1st Oman Hydrogen Symposium
Oct 2019
The 1st Oman Hydrogen Symposium was organised as part of the Oman Hydrogen Initiative — a joint project of GUtech and Hydrogen Rise AG of German and took place on October 9, 2019.
Launch of the Oman Hydrogen Initiative
Aug 2019
The German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech) and the German firm Hydrogen Rise AG have launched the ‘Oman Hydrogen Initiative’ to harness the economic potential of green hydrogen technologies in the Sultanate.
Arab News
May 2021
Oman Hydrogen Centre, which was established in 2019 by GUtech, is the first of its kind in Oman and is supporting the country in accelerating the transition to renewable energy.
Oman Daily News
May 2021
The Oman Hydrogen Centre was inaugurated last year with an aim to be a hub for skills nurturement and knowledge provider to incubate green energy development and total economic transformation.
Alyoum Newspaper
May 2021
The Oman Hydrogen Centre was inaugurated last year with an aim to be a hub for skills nurturement and knowledge provider to incubate green energy development and total economic transformation.
Corporate News
April 2021
Vorsitz Summit Redaction Committee
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Jan 2021
Presentation AHK Workshop
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Nov 2020
Presentation at 2020 MENA Summit
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Team and Partners
Team Oman Hydrogen Centre
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Modigell
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Modigell studied physics at RWTH-Aachen University in Germany and finalized his studies with the Dr.-Ing. degree in Mechanical-Engineering. He worked for 12 years in industry of plant engineering and construction, KHD and Thyssen, focused on industrial R&D in the field of process and energy engineering, environmental engineering and metallurgy. In 1990 he got the call to overtake the chair for Mechanical Process Engineering at RWTH-Aachen University. He was actively researching on basic and applied topics, beside others in the field of hydrogen production and CCS Technologies. In 2013 he became rector of the GUtech, German University of Technology in Oman, and in 2020 he was appointed as director of the Oman Hydrogen Centre (OHC) at GUtech, the centre for clean hydrogen, hydrogen research, technology, education, application and economy.
Muhannad Al Hinai
Scientific Coworker
Head of Hydrogen Systems and Economy
muhannad.alhinai@gutech.edu.om
Muhannad Alhinai holds a B.Sc. in Industrial Engineering (2013) from Northeastern University in Boston, MA, and a M.Sc. in Politics and Technology (2019) from Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Munich. His Master’s thesis as well as main research focus is on identifying the role that policy and technology play in carrying out deep energy transitions at economic, social and environmental levels. His main region of focus is the Arabian Peninsula, and more particularly Oman. He worked in the energy industry for 4 years as a management consultant as well as a maintenance engineer in oil refining as an employee of Aramco Company. He currently works as an academic researcher at Oman Hydrogen Centre at GUtech; the centre for clean hydrogen research, technology, education and application development.
Hydrogen Economy Cluster at GUtech
Close cooperation to pool GUtech’s competences for the development of a hydrogen economy between:
- Engineering Faculty
- Geoscience Faculty
- Economy Faculty
- Oman Hydrogen Centre
GUtech foyer
Partners
The OHC develops national and international partnerships with different formats. More about the benefits, cooperation forums and opportunities for participation on request.
Government
Science
Industry
Centre Evolution 2018 to 2021
Since 2018, GUtech has pursued the goal of initiating and promoting Clean Hydrogen Technology and Hydrogen Economics as a national opportunity for Oman.
To this end, a cooperation between GUtech and Hydrogen Rise AG was entered into at the end of 2018 and the Oman Hydrogen Initiative was founded. In analyses, preliminary studies and with the participation of key Omani stakeholders, a first Oman-specific inventory of the “clean hydrogen” concepts was prepared.
With strong support of the Oman Ministry of Oil and Gas (MOG), now Ministry of Energy and Minerals (MEM) the First Oman Hydrogen Symposium was initiated and organized at GUtech in cooperation with Hydrogen Rise AG. The presentations and dialogue at the event created a broad national awareness of the relevance and economic opportunities of Clean Hydrogen for Oman and in the globally changing energy industry.
At the end of 2019, the Ministry of Higher Education approved GUtech’s application to establish a Hydrogen Competence Centre to shape the opportunities of clean hydrogen for the benefit of Oman.
Approved by the Ministry of Higher Education, on January 27th, 2020 in a ceremony at the History of Science Centre at the GUtech, the “Oman Hydrogen Centre” was launched.
Oman Hydrogen Centre
