Abu Dhabi hedges hydrogen bets

Carbon mitigation the immediate focus but green ammonia also on agenda for leading solar power generator

Abu Dhabi’s launch onto the global hydrogen scene in late May mirrored the contrasting faces of its energy sector—on one side a regional clean energy pioneer and, on the other, a carbon-belching petrostate. First, state-owned Adnoc announced plans to develop a world-scale blue ammonia production plant at the company’s downstream and industrial hub at Ruwais, in the west. A day later, fellow parastatal Abu Dhabi Ports (ADP) unveiled the UAE’s first commercial-scale green ammonia scheme at Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD), in the east. There is an imperative to secure first-mover advantage as other gas-rich regional states well-positioned on global trade routes likewise rush to