Jordan strengthens green hydrogen commitment with five new pacts

Jordan is solidifying its commitment to green hydrogen by entering into five pacts paving the way to feasibility studies for projects aiming to produce up to 2.35 million tonnes of green hydrogen and ammonia annually within the kingdom.

The five memoranda of understanding (MoU) were signed by Jordan's energy minister Saleh Al-Kharabsheh and representatives of the interested companies during the COP 28 summit in Dubai, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources said on Wednesday.

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One of the biggest projects is Ocior Energy's plan to study the construction of a facility with a capacity to produce 1 million tonnes of green ammonia per year. The project will be developed in stages with the first stage targeting 100,000 tonnes annually. The final target of 1 million tonnes is planned to be reached by 2030.

Another project envisaging the production of 1 million tonnes of green ammonia from hydrogen is planned by a consortium of KEPCO and Xenel.

Saudi developer ACWA Power is also among the companies to carry out initial feasibility studies for the development of a green ammonia plant with an annual capacity of 100,000 - 150,000 tonnes.

As already reported earlier this week, Abu Dhabi-based renewables developer Masdar will conduct a feasibility study for the development of a green hydrogen plant near the Port of Aqaba. The ministry said that the project targets the production of up to 50,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year using desalinated sea water and renewable energy.

The fifth pact was signed with Catalyst Investment Management Jordan which is considering a project to produce 150,000 tonnes of green ammonia in the kingdom.

The five memoranda come on the heels of eight pacts agreed by Jordan's energy ministry with domestic and international developers as part of its efforts to make the country a regional green energy centre.

In addition, the government has also set up a green hydrogen roadmap which will be followed by the development of a comprehensive strategy.