IEA, top energy sector bigwigs to attend Oman conclave today

MUSCAT, DEC 4

Oman’s Ministry of Energy and Minerals, in partnership with the International Energy Agency (IEA), are jointly hosting here today (Monday, December 5, 2022) a conclave for top energy sector officials and CEOs from around the world on the role of green hydrogen in enhancing global energy security.

Dubbed ‘Energy Executives Circle’, the conclave is a ‘by-invitation-only’ event that takes place at the Kempinski Hotel Muscat this evening. It forms the prelude to the Green Hydrogen Summit Oman (GHSO) Conference and Exhibition, which formally opens at the Oman Convention & Exhibition tomorrow, December 6.

Eng Salim bin Nasser al Aufi, Minister of Energy and Minerals, as well as Dr Fatih Birol, Executive Director – IEA, will address the exclusive gathering, featuring a number of energy ministers representing countries that have voiced ambitions to either venture into large-scale green hydrogen or are seeking offtake arrangements with producers.

João Galamba, Secretary of State for Environment and Energy – Portugal, will deliver the keynote address. Also in attendance will be CEOs and heads of a number of major energy corporations from Oman and abroad, key figures from international energy think-tanks and energy experts.

Al Aufi will also join his counterparts from a number of countries at a panel discussion focusing on the evening’s main theme: ‘Green Hydrogen and Global Energy Security’.

Also taking part are: Dr M G Michel Heijdra, Deputy Vice Minister for Climate and Energy at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, Netherlands; Hirohide Hirai, Vice Minister for International Affairs at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan; and a representative from the Federal Republic of Germany.

The panel discussion, moderated by Dr Manal Shehabi, Oxford University researcher and IEA Consultant, will elicit the views of the panelists on a key question: Balancing short-term energy security goals with long-term sustainable energy transition and decarbonisation pathways.

Deliberations will also focus on the importance of enabling greater access to affordable and less volatile energy sources, and the importance of international collaboration to ensure global energy security as a key prerequisite for economic and political stability.

Potential challenges and opportunities facing Oman and its hydrogen partners in developing and sustaining green hydrogen production will be explored as well.

Today’s high-level conclave aims to strengthen Oman’s positioning as a potential regional heavyweight in the emerging green hydrogen industry.

Oman is targeting investments of around $140 billion in a future clean energy sector, the outputs of which will support the decarbonisation goals of not only the Sultanate of Oman, but other economies as well.