DUBAI: State oil giant Abu Dhabi National Oil Company said on Tuesday the region's first high-speed hydrogen refuelling station, which will make "clean hydrogen" from water and which Toyota will help test, will be completed this year.
"Hydrogen will be a critical fuel for the energy transition, helping to decarbonise economies at scale, and it is a natural extension of our core business," ADNOC group chief executive Sultan al-Jaber, who is also incoming president of the COP28 climate summit, said in a statement.
Jaber was a controversial pick to lead the United Nations climate summit because of his ADNOC role.
ADNOC said it agreed a partnership with Toyota and Al-Futtaim Motors to test the high-speed hydrogen refuelling station using fleets of hydrogen-powered vehicles.
"The pilot program will help ADNOC understand how hydrogen with high-speed refuelling can best be used in mobility projects to support the UAE's National Hydrogen Strategy," ADNOC said. The strategy aims to make the country one of the largest producers of hydrogen by 2031.
The company said ADNOC Distribution will operate the station, which has begun construction, upon its completion later this year.
In January, ADNOC said it had earmarked US$15 billion for projects including carbon capture, electrification, new CO2 absorption technology and investments in hydrogen and renewables.
ADNOC's board in late November also approved a five-year business plan and capital expenditure of US$150 billion for 2023-2027.
While the national oil company invests in green technologies it also aims to expand oil production to 5 million barrels a day (mbpd) by 2027, a target brought forward from 2030. The UAE's output was nearly 2.9 mpbd in June, according to OPEC.
