Oman to repurpose gas pipelines to transport hydrogen

Oman to repurpose gas pipelines to transport hydrogen

With the Sultanate of Oman moving stridently towards a green hydrogen-based low carbon energy future, the owner and operator of the country’s massive gas pipeline system, OQ Gas Networks (OQGN), is gearing up to suitably upgrade the gas grid to transport hydrogen as well.

According to top officials of OQ Gas Networks, a subsidiary of Oman’s global integrated energy group OQ, significant business and growth opportunities will be unlocked for the company when mega green hydrogen projects begin to materialise in the Sultanate of Oman in the coming years.

As the monopoly operator of the country’s roughly 4,000 km-long gas pipeline system, OQ Gas Networks is expected to play a frontline role in the delivery of hydrogen – Blue or Green – to customers distributed around the country. To this end, it has begun “testing the network for its readiness to transport hydrogen”, said Mansoor bin Ali al Abdali, Managing Director.

Speaking at an investor forum hosted by Muscat Stock Exchange (MSX) recently, he said a feasibility study for blending hydrogen into existing natural gas networks is now in its final stages. Hydrogen transportation costs would be significantly lower for repurposed pipelines compared to investments in new networks, he noted.

Initial blending efforts involving