Emirates National Oil Company has opened its first green hydrogen fuel station at Expo City Dubai, where the Cop28 climate conference is taking place.
The project, which was developed with the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority and Japan's Toyota, is within Expo City's Service Station of the Future and will support the UAE's National Hydrogen Strategy 2050, Dubai-based Enoc Group said on Friday.
The Service Station of the Future is currently the only one in the region to provide green hydrogen, hydrocarbon fuels (petrol and diesel) and electric charging stations, Enoc said.
It will help accelerate Dubai's move towards carbon neutrality and its plan to provide 100 per cent of energy production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050, Saeed Al Tayer, vice chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and chairman of Enoc, said.
“This plant supports Dubai’s firm commitment to sustainability and the UAE’s efforts to combat climate change,” he said.
Hydrogen and its various low-carbon forms are seen as an alternative to natural gas.
Dewa expects low-carbon hydrogen to play a bigger role in its energy mix in the longer term, Mr Al Tayer has previously said.
It is “promising”, he said, and suggested a time scale of the next eight to 10 years, when technological innovations bring manufacturing costs down, speaking at last month's Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition in Dubai.
The UAE aims to produce 1.4 million tonnes of low-emission hydrogen annually by 2031, increasing to 15 million tonnes every year by 2050.
“Hydrogen is a compelling alternative to traditional energy sources and is significant as Dubai – and the wider UAE – continues to lay the foundation for a green economy,” said Saif Al Falasi, group chief executive of Enoc.
Enoc Group is also collaborating with local authorities to implement codes and standards for the safe operation of hydrogen systems in line with global benchmarks, the company said.
This year, Enoc and Dewa teamed up to develop and operate a joint integrated pilot project for the use of hydrogen in mobility.
