MUSCAT: Delegated by His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, H.E. Engineer Salem bin Nasser Al Aufi, Minister of Energy and Minerals, is heading Oman’s team at the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-27) 2022, which began in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, yesterday.

At the opening of the conference, which will run until November 18, H.E. Salem Al Aufi said: “The Sultanate of Oman participates with the world in this important event, based on its belief in the importance of taking coordinated measures in partnership with the world to reduce global warming to levels below 2 degrees Celsius, and, if possible, to put an end to it at 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels… We have taken important steps towards reducing carbon emissions, through the Sultanate of Oman’s adoption of the lofty directives of the declaration of achieving carbon neutrality in 2050, and the establishment of the Oman Sustainability Center, based on the outputs of the Carbon Management Laboratory. In continuation of these efforts, we are pleased to announce the launch of the Sultanate of Oman’s national strategy for an orderly transition to the zero-neutral plan, and also the launch of the National Energy Environmental Policy.

“In the green hydrogen sector, we are pleased to announce the start of the pre-qualification phase for investors wishing to participate in the first round of investment opportunities in green hydrogen production projects through the Hydrogen Oman Company ‘Hydrom’ platform,” he added.

The conference is part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is an international treaty signed by most countries of the world with the aim of reducing the impact of human activity on the climate. The participating countries pledged to return to the meeting this year, to agree to further reduce greenhouse gas and carbon dioxide emissions, in line with reducing the rate of planetary temperature increase to less than 2°C.

As the Sultanate of Oman pays attention to energy transformation in line with the world to reduce carbon emissions, it is also working to promote local value-added policies, localize industries related to the renewable energy and hydrogen sector, enable strategic studies, research and development, and build national capacities in it, enhance community awareness of clean energy, and any other complementary policies.

The Sultanate of Oman also realizes that the partnership is necessary to achieve its goal in this sector, in order to establish its position on the map of developing clean hydrogen production and use, as it works and coordinates through alliances or joint work teams in a number of government agencies, oil and gas operators, educational and research institutions, in addition to ports which will work together to support and facilitate the production, transport and benefit of clean hydrogen locally and export it. The key objective is to push forward technologies for developing and using clean hydrogen in line with the energy diversification plans of Oman 2040 vision, as well as working to promote clean hydrogen by working on investments, technologies, policies and experiences in all phases of hydrogen supply chain, which will support Oman’s national energy security and decarbonization efforts. This partnership will contribute to a successful transition towards a green economy.

In the coming days, the COP 27 will witness a number of programs and meetings at the Sultanate of Oman’s pavilion to discuss climate change, carbon neutrality, investment in the green energy sector, and other related topics.
Oman’s delegation to the Conference includes H.E. Sheikh Khalifa bin Ali Al-Harthy, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Diplomatic Affairs, H.E. Dr. Abdullah bin Ali Al-Omari, Chairman of the Environment Agency, and H.E. Engineer Nayef bin Ali Al-Abri, Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority.