Gasunie – Historic agreement signed for world’s first liquid hydrogen import corridor between Oman, the Netherlands, and Germany

A groundbreaking Joint Development Agreement (JDA) has been signed to establish the world’s first liquid hydrogen import corridor, connecting the Sultanate of Oman, the Netherlands, and Germany. This corridor will link the port of Duqm in Oman, the port of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and key logistics hubs in Germany, including the port of Duisburg in Germany, enabling the commercial-scale import of renewable fuel of non-biological origin (RFNBO) compliant liquid hydrogen to Europe. The agreement was signed during the state visit by His Majesty the Sultan of Oman to the Netherlands.

The agreement was signed by eleven parties in total, including prominent players like Hydrom, Oman’s national green hydrogen orchestrator, OQ, Oman’s global integrated energy group, Tata Steel Nederland, Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG and Hynetwork, bringing together all the critical links for the envisioned supply chain. This supply chain capitalizes on proven technologies for the liquefaction, transport, storage, and distribution of liquid hydrogen. ECOLOG’s advanced vessel design ensures net zero boil-off, eliminating cargo loss in marine transportation. This transformative innovation significantly reduces unit freight costs, setting a new standard for efficiency and sustainability.

The agreement comprises several key components vital to the corridor’s development. First, the development of a centralized liquefaction, storage, and export facility at the port of Duqm, which is one of the hubs for Omani-produced green hydrogen. Second, discussions will be held on the pricing and delivery of liquid hydrogen to offtakers located in the broader Amsterdam area, as well as offtakers located elsewhere in the Netherlands and Germany, with EnBW as the aggregator. Finally, the aligned development of dedicated infrastructure throughout the corridor, including export and import facilities in the ports of Duqm, Amsterdam and Duisburg, as well as for several distribution modalities for gaseous and liquid hydrogen, most notably gas pipeline networks, rail connections, and barge distribution leveraging the Netherlands extensive canal network.

This agreement is a significant step in Oman’s ambition to become a global leader in the green hydrogen export market, while simultaneously strengthening Europe’s energy security. The initiative also supports the EU’s clean energy goals, helping to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors, such as steelmaking and transport.