Oman opens first green hydrogen refuelling station

Shell has inaugurated Oman’s first green hydrogen refuelling station with on-site production.

The site, located near Muscat International Airport, can produce up to 130kg of green hydrogen per day to support the deployment of 15 hydrogen-powered taxis from the state-owned transport agency Mwasalat.

Alongside hydrogen capacity, the station also hosts EV fast-charging and conventional fuelling options.

“Not too long ago, the idea of refuelling a car with hydrogen in Oman felt like a vision for the future,” Shell’s Oman Country Chair, Walid Hadi posted on LinkedIn. “Today, that future is here with the launch of Oman’s first green hydrogen station.”

Omani Minister of Energy and Minerals, Salim Nasser Al Aufi, said that by integrating renewables, hydrogen production and more, the project demonstrates “the potential of hydrogen ecosystems in attracting investment and supporting future technologies.”

The Sultanate has been ramping up its green hydrogen ambitions in recent years, having awarded land to eight projects that could produce 1.2 million tonnes of hydrogen per year from 2030.

Read more:Hydrogen ambitions meet reality in Oman

Primarily focused on producing hydrogen for domestic industrial consumption and export to regions like Europe and Asia, Oman’s 15-strong hydrogen taxi fleet has come as an effort to promote its wider hydrogen goals.

The installation also follows a series of high-level backtracks from Shell on hydrogen refuelling, in markets where it had acted as an early driver of hydrogen mobility.

In 2022 the oil and gas major closed three of its UK refuelling stations, citing low demand and difficulties in operating the equipment.

By 2024, Shell said it would immediately and permanently close all seven of its Californian hydrogen refuelling stations due to “hydrogen supply complications and other external market factors.”