Oman aims to sell only zero-emission vehicles by 2050 in sustainability push

Sultanate will also focus on boosting green hydrogen production as part of its clean energy strategy

The Dhofar province of Oman. The sultanate is pushing for the adoption of clean energy vehicles on its roads. Photo: Omani Ministry of Tourism

Oman plans to sell only zero-emission cars by 2050 as part of a new strategy unveiled by the government to achieve its energy transition plan.

The strategy, developed by the sultanate's Ministry of Energy and Minerals in collaboration with government and private entities, is in line with the Oman Vision 2040 economic diversification plan as the country aims for zero carbon emissions by 2050, the Oman News Agency reported on Saturday.

The strategy focuses on areas including energy efficiency, renewable energy, the hydrogen economy, and carbon capture, transport, and storage. It aims to ensure secure energy supplies, enable an “organised transition to decarbonisation”, enhance local capabilities for energy transformation, promote a low-carbon economy and maintain “Oman’s competitive edge in the global energy market”, the report said.

The plan is designed to meet the energy needs essential for economic growth, ensuring economic diversification, reducing carbon footprint, creating new job opportunities and developing national skills, ONA cited Maryam Al Hashimi, director of Electricity and Energy Efficiency Policies and Strategies at the ministry, as saying.

The sultanate's push to sell zero-carbon emission vehicles is line with the government's recent investments in the clean transport sector.

In September last year, the Oman Investment Authority invested in US-based electric vehicle battery start-up Our Next Energy (One). Oman’s sovereign wealth fund also signed a strategic co-operation agreement with One to identify potential areas of partnership in energy and battery storage in the sultanate.

The number of EVs in the country rose to 1,500 in 2024 from 550 last year, Khamis Al Shamakhi, undersecretary at the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology for Transport said at an event, local media reported on Saturday.

In terms of infrastructure development, more than 120 charging points for electric vehicles were installed last year, he said. The ministry expects the number of EV charging points across the country to reach more than 200 by the end of this year and exceed 350 by 2027.

It has also launched a green corridors project for lorries that operate on green hydrogen energy, along with a pilot project to activate electric bicycles in food delivery, Mr Al Shamakhi said.

According to its latest energy strategy, Oman's Ministry of Energy and Minerals has also set targets for green hydrogen production, with plans to reach one million tonnes a year by 2030, 3.5 million tonnes by 2040, and 8 million tonnes by 2050.

Oman has been positioning itself as a global hub for green hydrogen exports, as many countries in the Middle East turn to the clean fuel as a way to transition to a more sustainable energy future.

The International Energy Agency expects the Gulf country to become the sixth largest exporter of hydrogen globally and the largest in the Middle East by 2030. Oman is on track to supply more than 60 per cent of the total hydrogen exports from the Middle East by the end of the decade, the IEA said.

Green hydrogen is produced through a process called electrolysis, in which water is split into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity generated from renewable sources.

Last year, the state-run Oman Hydrogen Company, or Hydrom, signed six agreements worth $51 billion to invest in green hydrogen projects. These were signed with companies from Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, Japan, Singapore, Germany, India, Kuwait and the UAE.

The ministry plans to conduct site tours for renewable energy and clean hydrogen projects, according to the ONA report.

The sultanate aims to boost the share of renewable energy to 30 per cent by 2030 and 70 per cent by 2040, before reaching 100 per cent by 2050, under the latest strategy.