MENA Region Can Become A Hub For Green Hydrogen – Cornelius Matthes

During a session at the Global Energy Utilities Forum (GEUF), the potential of green hydrogen was discussed with Cornelius Matthes, CEO at Dii Desert Energy. He said last 2 years were evolutionary. “The time couldn’t be more exciting. This alone will make the region a disrupter globally in energy,” he said. 

There is a possibility to move up to 70 GW of energy between continents in one pipeline and that is a gamechanger in this field. This will be very crucial in the future as Europe needs to de-fossilize and decarbonize. “There will be a lot of things happening in the next few months,” Matthes noted.

“Nobody would’ve believed the developments in hydrogen in the region in the past but in the last two years alone, we’ve seen a wave of project announcements, [transforming] complete energy systems, which shows the potential, from the UAE and Oman to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Morocco.”

“The tragic geopolitical events present opportunities for MENA to position itself as a reliable energy supplier for Europe because, usually, the GCC looks to Asia. But the region can supply green electrons to Europe, all can be done, this is what Europe needs to diversify so it’s a historic opportunity now for the region to move fast to establish these partnerships,” Matthes added.

He concluded, “All energy-intensive industries will face a big challenge with a carbon tax in Europe so it’s inevitable to go green and produce these projects with low emission contents. Then, there is a need for a framework for carbon dioxide regulation. All this will need to be established and I have no doubt it will in the next decade – but it’s a historic moment for the MENA region to establish a partnership with Europe, the doors are wide open.”