The HYPORT Duqm green ammonia project planned at the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Duqm has secured a key certification that would make its renewable ammonia output eligible for export to markets in the European Union.

The partnership of Belgium-based DEME, a leading international contractor and developer, and OQ, the global integrated energy group of the Sultanate of Oman, is developing the multibillion dollar project in two phases at Duqm.

On Thursday, CertifHy – a leading green energy certification agency for Europe – announced that it had completed a pre-certification pilot for the HYPORT Duqm project. It affirms the future compliance of Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin (RFNBO) produced in Duqm with the European Renewable Energy Directive II (RED II) Delegated Acts. With this pre-certification, produced green molecules from HYPORT Duqm qualify for import into the EU as green molecules.

“We are pleased to announce that the HYPORT Duqm project is on-track to deliver RFNBO-compliant ammonia to Europe, in accordance with RED II Amendments,” said CertifHy in a post.

“Supported by the Belgian Federal Public Service's Energy Transition Fund (ETF), the success of this pre-certification pilot paves the way for a stronger Belgium-Oman partnership, the latter of which holds tremendous potential to supply competitive hydrogen (and its derivatives) to international markets,” it further added.

“The positive results from the pre-certification pilot according to the CertifHy RFNBO Scheme support our ambition to make Oman’s abundant renewable energy resources availability to the European market, contributing to the EU’s net zero ambitions,” Jean-Baptiste de Cuyper, Green Hydrogen Development Manager – DEME Group, stated.

Partnering with CertifHy in the pre-certification pilot were Hinicio, a leading Belgian-headquartered international consultancy in the field of hydrogen and fuel cells. TÜV SÜD, a global leader in independent testing, inspection and certification services, also took part in the pilot.

CertifHy was created in response to a request from the European Commission to formulate a high-quality hydrogen certification scheme across Europe. CertifHy certificates assure EU importers of the reliability of green hydrogen imports from the standpoint of their origin and environmental attributes.

Last May, HYPORT Duqm selected Hinicio to conduct the green hydrogen pre-certification under the CertifHy scheme. As green ammonia output from the project is earmarked primarily for export to Europe, among other markets, a robust and transparent certification scheme is seen as pivotal to assuring customers that the supplied renewable fuels have been sustainably produced and enabling them to achieve their climate goals.

Currently in the early stages of detailed engineering, HYPORT Duqm will feature around 1.3 gigawatts of renewable power capacity with the goal to produce about 330,000 tonnes of green ammonia per annum in the first phase. Renewable capacity will be doubled to around 2.7 GW with 650,000 tonnes per annum of green ammonia in the second phase.