The MEA region is emerging as a key player within the emerging hydrogen market. Despite holding just an 11% share of current global active capacity, the region has a number of large-scale low-carbon hydrogen projects in the pipeline that will boost its positioning within the global hydrogen market.
A number of African countries such as South Africa, Egypt, Mauritania and Morocco aim to capitalize on their vast renewable resources to competitively produce green hydrogen both for domestic use as well as to serve markets experiencing a surge in demand, such as Europe. Meanwhile, in the Middle East, the approach to low-carbon hydrogen is more blended, with companies investing in both blue and green hydrogen.
In African countries, transportation is the key focus demand sector, accounting for up to 6mtpa of capacity across 65 production facilities by 2030. A number of projects, particularly those situated strategically in marine port locations, are also gearing up to produce low-carbon fuels for the maritime sector such as South Africa’s Boegoebaai green hydrogen cluster. In the Middle Eastern context, ammonia is chiefly being focused on as an end-use sector for low-carbon hydrogen, with this demand sector potentially accounting for up to 49% of active and upcoming hydrogen capacity. Ammonia is a valuable end-product for fertilizers, plastics, and cleaning products as well as a transport and storage medium for hydrogen. Although the MEA region’s ammonia demand is forecast to remain relatively stable up to 2030, this focus within upcoming hydrogen production capacity indicates the region’s intention to capitalize on increasing demand for low-carbon ammonia in other markets such as Europe and Asia.
National strategies, roadmaps and incentives are helping to pave the way for hydrogen technology investments and deployment within the different sectors in which it can be used. However, numerous countries across the Middle East and Africa are yet to launch these initiatives and so the region’s signals to industry need to be stronger still. There is a heavy emphasis on partnerships within MEA’s regional hydrogen market, with this form of deal accounting for over 70% of total deal activity between January 2022 and February 2024. This trend indicates how companies operating in the MEA region are bidding to capture a greater share of the global hydrogen market through various offtake agreements. The partnerships trend also extends to international strategic alliances, with European institutions and member states being particularly active in securing agreements with emerging hydrogen-producing countries in Africa.
A number of African countries such as South Africa, Egypt, Mauritania and Morocco aim to capitalize on their vast renewable resources to competitively produce green hydrogen both for domestic use as well as to serve markets experiencing a surge in demand, such as Europe. Meanwhile, in the Middle East, the approach to low-carbon hydrogen is more blended, with companies investing in both blue and green hydrogen.
In African countries, transportation is the key focus demand sector, accounting for up to 6mtpa of capacity across 65 production facilities by 2030. A number of projects, particularly those situated strategically in marine port locations, are also gearing up to produce low-carbon fuels for the maritime sector such as South Africa’s Boegoebaai green hydrogen cluster. In the Middle Eastern context, ammonia is chiefly being focused on as an end-use sector for low-carbon hydrogen, with this demand sector potentially accounting for up to 49% of active and upcoming hydrogen capacity. Ammonia is a valuable end-product for fertilizers, plastics, and cleaning products as well as a transport and storage medium for hydrogen. Although the MEA region’s ammonia demand is forecast to remain relatively stable up to 2030, this focus within upcoming hydrogen production capacity indicates the region’s intention to capitalize on increasing demand for low-carbon ammonia in other markets such as Europe and Asia.
National strategies, roadmaps and incentives are helping to pave the way for hydrogen technology investments and deployment within the different sectors in which it can be used. However, numerous countries across the Middle East and Africa are yet to launch these initiatives and so the region’s signals to industry need to be stronger still. There is a heavy emphasis on partnerships within MEA’s regional hydrogen market, with this form of deal accounting for over 70% of total deal activity between January 2022 and February 2024. This trend indicates how companies operating in the MEA region are bidding to capture a greater share of the global hydrogen market through various offtake agreements. The partnerships trend also extends to international strategic alliances, with European institutions and member states being particularly active in securing agreements with emerging hydrogen-producing countries in Africa.
Key Highlights
- The Middle East and Africa is currently a minority player within the global hydrogen market, with an active capacity of 212 ktpa, which translates to an active capacity share of 11%.
- A number of countries in Africa will be key contributors to the MEA’s emerging hydrogen market including Egypt, Mauritania, Morocco and South Africa as the region capitalizes on its renewable energy resources to produce green hydrogen.
- With 118 ktpa, Qatar leads in terms of active capacity, but is expected to fall down the country ranking as a number of large-scale projects become operational.
- Most hydrogen producers in Africa expect to supply the transportation market, which is projected to account for 6.1mtpa of hydrogen supply before 2030. While in the Middle East, ammonia remains a prevalent end use sector with ammonia being used by a number of industries including fertilizers, cleaning products, and plastics.
- Some countries are targeting the refining sector as a way to kick start demand for hydrogen. For example, the United Arab Emirates included refining as a key sector within its updated national hydrogen strategy published in July 2023.
Scope
- Hydrogen regional market analysis
- Total upcoming capacity and 2030 market size scenarios, highlighting recently announced projects by capacity.
- Demand across different application sectors .
- National and regional policy support and financial incentives
Reasons to Buy
- Identify the market trends within the region and key players in hydrogen technologies.
- Develop market insight of current, in development and announced capacity and latest trends of the sector.
- Understand the region's different scenarios for 2030 based on the likeliness of the projects.
- Look at the demand in key application areas for the country.
- Facilitate the understanding on how and where the market is growing as it is rapidly scaling up to position as one of the main topics of the international and national agenda.
Table of Contents
- Overview
- Executive summary
- Snapshot of the low carbon hydrogen market
- Low Carbon Hydrogen Market
- Middle East and Africa in a global context
- Leading countries in the hydrogen market
- Largest upcoming projects globally
- Largest upcoming projects in the MEA region
- MEA Hydrogen Capacity in high and low scenarios
- Low carbon hydrogen competitiveness drivers
- Major barriers for low carbon hydrogen deployment
- Demand in Key Application Areas
- Current hydrogen targets across MEA countries
- Key MEA Countries Demand and Focus
- Intended use sectors for hydrogen
- Transportation
- Iron & Steel
- Ammonia & chemicals
- Natural Gas & Gas Blending
- Refining
- Hydrogen Sector Challenges
- Policies, Projects, and Key Players
- Regional Policies on Hydrogen
- Funding and Financial Support
- MEA hydrogen deal activity
- Key players
- Largest active and upcoming hydrogen plants in the Middle East
- Largest upcoming hydrogen plants in Africa
- Major barriers for low carbon hydrogen deployment
- Key MEA countries production targets and demand focus
- Main low-carbon hydrogen projects for iron and & steel use
- Main Companies Involved in developing low-carbon hydrogen projects for chemicals end use in the MEA region
- Main Low Carbon Hydrogen projects for Ammonia Supply
- Gas blending projects in Middle East and Africa
- Upcoming hydrogen pipelines in Middle East and Africa
- Hydrogen policy - Middle East
- Hydrogen policy - Africa
- Initiatives, funding and financial support
- A quick snapshot of low-carbon hydrogen capacity
- MEA vs global low carbon hydrogen capacity by development stage
- Top countries in the MEA region by hydrogen capacity, 2022 - 2030
- Top countries in MEA region by low carbon hydrogen capacity and development stage
- World’s largest upcoming hydrogen projects
- MEA low carbon hydrogen capacity scenarios, 2023 - 2030
- Middle East levelized cost of energy (LCOE)
- Africa levelized cost of energy (LCOE)
- Intended use sectors for hydrogen produced in Africa
- Target end use sectors for low-carbon hydrogen plants in the Middle East
- MEA maximum low carbon hydrogen production capacity for steel sector, 2021 - 2030
- Middle East and Africa ammonia supply, 2020 - 2030
- Middle East and Africa ammonia and methanol demand, 2020 - 2030
- MEA region Low carbon ammonia production capacity, 2020 - 2030
- Middle East and Africa natural gas demand by sector, bcm
- Middle East and Africa Refining Capacity by Country
- MEA region hydrogen deals
- Companies with the most mention of hydrogen in their corporate filings in the MEA region, 2021 - Jan 2024
Companies Mentioned (Partial List)
A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes, but is not limited to:
- Shell plc
- Intercontinental Energy Corp
- National Technology Enterprises Company
- OQ SAOC
- ACME Cleantech Solutions Pvt Ltd
- Scatec ASA
- Acwa Power Co
- Air Products and Chemicals Inc
- Neom Co
- QatarEnergy
- Abu Dhabi National Oil Co
- Blue Power Partners AS Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners KS
- POSCO Holdings Inc
- Engie SA
- PTT Public Co Ltd
- Samsung Engineering Co Ltd
- GS Energy Corp
- ADQ
- Mitsui & Co Ltd
- OCI NV
- CPC Corp
- Dutco Group of Companies
- LCY Chemical Corp
- Egyptian Electricity Transmission Co
- New and Renewable Energy Authority
- BP Plc
- British International Investment plc
- CWP Global
- Jearrard Energy Resources Ltd
- Conjuncta GmbH
- Infinity
- Mubdala Investment Co
- Chariot Oil and Gas Ltd
- Eren Groupe Sa
- TotalEnergies SE
- Falcon Capital
- Hydrogene de France SA
- ADNOC
- Alstom
- Saudi Arabia Railways
- Masdar Clean Energy
- The Boeing Company
- Anglo America
- BMW
- Sasol
- Toyota
- Itochu Corp
- Blue Power Partners
- Hydregen Ltd
- Nicholas Holdings Ltd
- Thyssenkrupp Uhde GmbH
- Norfund
- Fertiglobe
- Saudi Basic Industries Corp.
