MUSCAT, NOV 6
Wholly government-owned Hydrom – Oman’s hydrogen-centric energy company – has formally launched the first round of public auctions of land blocks for the development of green hydrogen projects in the Sultanate of Oman.
A post on the company’s Twitter account said: “Stay tuned for Hydrom’s first round of public auctions launch this Sunday, 6th November. Keep up to date for Oman’s green hydrogen auctions here,” it noted, referencing an online link to the auction platform.
Since the unveiling of Oman’s green hydrogen strategy on October 23, 2022, interested international investors and developers have been invited to register their interest in bidding for the first of several land blocks offered up by Hydrom for development.
The first round of auctions covers two blocks in Duqm (Al Wusta Governorate) each of around 320 sq kilometres. They are among a total of six blocks (totaling 1,900 sq kilometers in area) that will be auctioned off as part of Phase A of the programme. Interested developers will receive a Request for Qualifications (RfQ) in December, kicking off a competitive bidding process that will culminate in the award of the first land concessions by April 2023.
Oman has earmarked a total of around 50,000 square kilometres of land, distributed across the country, for green hydrogen projects over the long term. Delineated into blocks of 320 sq metres each, these plots will be awarded to successful bidders against 47-year land concessions.
Bids in the form of offers for land lease fees start as low as 20 baizas per square metre. But weightage will also be given to the overall merits of the developer’s project proposal in terms of the socioeconomic value it brings to the country as well.
A subsidiary of Energy Development Oman (EDO), Hydrom’s mandate includes the delineation of government-owned land areas and the structuring of associated large-scale world-class green hydrogen projects, managing the process for their allocation to developers as well as facilitating the development of common infrastructure and connected ecosystems in industries and hubs in close collaboration with the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ).
