Uniper To Build Green Hydrogen Plant in UAE

Mohammad Abdelqader El Ramahi, in an interview, said the two companies will build a plant that will run on almost 1.3 gigawatts of solar power and is expected to produce hydrogen from 2026 on, as mentioned in the report.

Uniper’s shareholders agreed to a $33 billion rescue this week that will lead to the utility’s nationalisation and avoid its collapse following a surge in natural gas prices in the wake of the Ukrainian crisis.

Green hydrogen is seen as crucial to the global transition to clean energy.

Even though it's still too expensive to compete with fossil fuels, most people think it will become popular in the next ten years.

According to the report, green hydrogen emits no greenhouse gases when burned and is produced when renewable energy (typically wind or solar power) is used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.

When asked about the import of hydrogen, a spokesperson for Uniper said, "The project in the UAE with Masdar has already seen impressive public support."

He added that Germany wants to eventually import large amounts of hydrogen to wean itself off coal and meet its 2045 net-zero target. It’s also trying to secure more supplies of liquefied natural gas from the Middle East to replace piped flows from Russia.

According to the report, nations in the region, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Egypt, are investing billions of dollars in green and blue hydrogen. The latter is made by converting natural gas and capturing the resulting carbon emissions.

Masdar, based in Abu Dhabi, can today produce 20 gigawatts of clean power and wants to raise that to 100 gigawatts internationally by the end of the decade. That’s roughly double the renewable capacity of the UK today.

The report further stated that by 2030, Masdar aims to make as much as one million tonnes annually of green hydrogen and derivatives such as ammonia, sustainable aviation fuel, and green methanol.

Beyond its UAE projects, Masdar is working on hydrogen facilities in Egypt, Morocco, Azerbaijan, and the UK.

By Sumita Pawar