The future of green hydrogen lies in the MENA region

Climate change and pollution have led countries and energy companies to devise plans to address these challenges by promoting sustainability and ecological transition. To this end, several alternatives to fossil fuels have been proposed to reduce emissions and facilitate decarbonisation. In this respect, green hydrogen is emerging as an interesting option for a cleaner planet.

Projects involving hydrogen from renewable energy sources, such as sunlight, are becoming increasingly important in the transition to a cleaner world. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is one of the regions with the greatest potential for the development and promotion of such initiatives, with a promising future in this area.

This has been confirmed by Pierre-Etienne Franc, CEO of Hy24, a Swiss company dedicated to the sustainable hydrogen sector. "The Middle East and North Africa are the next places for hydrogen," Franc said at a hydrogen forum in Abu Dhabi. 

As Hy24's CEO revealed, the company hopes to attract numerous investors from the MENA region as it expands its presence and projects in the region, reports The National News. Hy24 is backed by energy giants such as TotalEnergies and raised €2 billion to invest in green hydrogen projects last year. 

Franc recalled that nations in the region have already initiated sustainable hydrogen projects. "Many countries, starting with the United Arab Emirates, have already developed initiatives that show the priorities they want to set for decarbonisation," he said. 

In fact, the UAE implemented the first green hydrogen project in the region thanks to solar energy produced by the Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum Solar Park. The Arab country has also reached agreements with other nations such as Egypt and Colombia to cooperate in this field. 

The UAE is seeking to position itself as an exporter of this clean fuel and has therefore invested 600 billion dirhams in clean and renewable energy projects over the next three decades. One of Abu Dhabi's goals is to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Because of the country's potential, Ardian, an investment company that is part of Hy24, has opened an office in Abu Dhabi's financial centre. 

Within the MENA region, another country that stands out is Morocco, which has been chosen by Europe as a leading supplier of green hydrogen. "Morocco has significant potential to develop this new sector of the energy transition and can become a key supplier of green hydrogen", as Rob Jetten, Dutch Minister for Climate and Energy Policy, pointed out during a summit dedicated to outlining new plans for clean energy last summer. 

Other countries such as France and Germany have also expressed interest in Morocco and its potential in this field, while the European Investment Bank (EIB) has underlined Morocco's capacity to become a strategic clean energy partner.