Dubai home to first solar-powered hydrogen facility in Mena

Plant is part of Expo 2020 Dubai's plans to showcase hydrogen mobility by powering a number of fuel-cell vehicles with the gas generated at the facility

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, with Joe Kaeser, CEO Siemens, at the foundation-stone laying in Dubai of the new hydrogen facility. WAM

The first solar-driven hydrogen electrolysis facility in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region was inaugurated in Dubai on Sunday.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee, broke ground on the project, a collaboration between Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), Expo 2020 Dubai and Siemens.

It will be built at Dewa’s outdoor testing facilities in the Research and Development Centre at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai, state media agency WAM reported.

Expo 2020 Dubai intends to showcase hydrogen mobility by powering a number of fuel-cell vehicles with hydrogen generated at the facility, and transport Expo 2020 Dubai visitors to the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. Also, real-time data from the green hydrogen electrolysis production site will be on display at Expo 2020.

The move is the latest involving Siemens in the GCC. Last month The National reported the German industrial company signed a €200 million contract to supply gas and steam turbines for an integrated utilities project in the southern Omani port city of Duqm in one of the largest such transactions for the sultanate.

Also last month, Siemens said it expects growth of around 5 per cent in the oil and gas business in 2019 following momentum seen in the sector due to the pickup in crude prices last year.

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"We did see an increase last year in terms of oil and gas spend by customers and in terms of new projects and refurbishing existing equipment and activities," Lisa Davis, chief executive, energy and member of the firm's managing board said in an interview with The National in the capital during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.

"We do expect an increase in 2019 as well and probably around 5 per cent, so the business continues to grow and probably a little bit more than GDP, so that’s encouraging to see it coming back, but coming back in a cautious way,” she added.