Oman completes green licensing round
Australia’s Fortescue and France’s EDF Renewables among the successful bidders as second-round auction draws green hydrogen projects worth about $11b
Oman’s energy sector projects have historically moved slowly: a greenfield refinery at Duqm, its flagship downstream project since the late 2000s, started up only in February. Hydrocarbon licensing rounds are also drawn-out affairs. However, less than 18 months after the sultanate launched its innovative system of green hydrogen auctions—whereby prospective developers bid for allocation of land in the most renewables-rich areas to carry out integrated production projects—eight schemes have been licensed. The projects envisage total output of 1.4mt/yr by the end of the decade and investment of more than $49b, roughly equivalent to the country’s entire existing foreign direct investment stock.
Also in this section
25 February 2026
Low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia development is advancing much more slowly and unevenly than once expected, with high costs and policy uncertainty thinning investment. Meanwhile, surging energy demand is reinforcing the role of natural gas and LNG as the backbone of the global energy system, panellists at LNG2026 said
18 February 2026
Norwegian energy company has dropped a major hydrogen project and paused its CCS expansion plans as demand fails to materialise
4 February 2026
Europe’s largest electrolyser manufacturers are losing patience with policymakers as sluggish growth in the green hydrogen sector undermines their decision to expand production capacity
2 February 2026
As a fertiliser feedstock, it is indispensable, but ammonia’s potential as a carbon-free energy carrier is also making it central to global decarbonisation strategies






