Oman has signed a package of 10 agreements and memorandums of understanding worth 2.9 billion Omani rials ($7.5 billion) to develop industrial, energy, and tourism projects in the Duqm Special Economic Zone, the largest single investment commitment round for the zone and a milestone that establishes Duqm as one of the world’s most significant green hydrogen development corridors. The deals span green hydrogen, advanced manufacturing, power generation, tourism, and logistics, sectors chosen to leverage Duqm’s combination of deep-water port access, abundant solar and wind resources, and proximity to Asian LNG and industrial shipping routes. The package was led by the downstream works for the second and third phases of ACME Group’s green hydrogen project, accounting for investments of 1.6 billion Omani rials alone.
HyPort Duqm: Phase 1 Production Targeted in 2026
The most immediate milestone in Duqm’s green energy programme is HyPort Duqm, a joint venture between OQ, Germany’s Uniper, and Belgium’s DEME, which targets Phase 1 production start-up in 2026. The facility, powered by 1.3 gigawatts of renewable solar and wind capacity, will produce green hydrogen and green ammonia for export to European industrial customers who require carbon-free feedstocks to meet decarbonisation commitments. Phase 1 production would make HyPort one of the first large-scale commercial green hydrogen projects anywhere in the Middle East to move from planning into actual production, a demonstration of commercial viability that is critical for attracting the next wave of global green hydrogen investment to the Oman corridor.
ACME’s $3.5 Billion Green Ammonia Plant: World Scale
Indian renewables developer ACME Group won the bid to build one of the world’s largest green ammonia projects at Duqm for $3.5 billion, using hydrogen electrolysers powered by 3 gigawatts of solar and 500 megawatts of wind. The full-scale plant will produce approximately 900,000 tonnes of green ammonia annually, a meaningful contribution toward Oman’s 1.38 million tonne-per-year green hydrogen export target by 2030. Green ammonia is the preferred export format because it can be transported in existing bulk carrier ships and converted back to hydrogen at the destination, eliminating the need for dedicated hydrogen shipping infrastructure. Oman’s geography, outside the Arabian Gulf entirely, with Indian Ocean port access, gives Duqm a routing advantage for exports to Asia and Europe regardless of any Hormuz disruption.
Read next: Oman Advances Duqm Green Park as Master Plan Bids Close July 14
Primary source: the Special Economic Zone Authority at Duqm, the authority that governs the zone hosting the project.
