ADNOC opens region’s first high-speed green hydrogen refueling pilot station

ADNOC on Friday announced that it has opened “H2GO”, the region’s first high-speed green hydrogen pilot refueling station, to test a fleet of zero-emission hydrogen-powered vehicles.

The station, which is located on land provided by Masdar City and operated by ADNOC Distribution, will create green hydrogen from water using an electrolyser powered by clean grid electricity, ADNOC said.

“We are pleased to launch this unique high-speed green hydrogen refueling station which supports the UAE’s National Hydrogen Strategy,” Musabbeh Al Kaabi, ADNOC Executive Director, Low Carbon Solutions and International Growth, said in a statement.

“ADNOC continues to collaborate with local and international companies on innovative technologies and low-carbon solutions that can accelerate decarbonisation and support a responsible energy transition.,” he said.

The hydrogen supplied at the pilot station will be certified as “green” from solar sources by the International REC Standard, an internationally recognised certification organisation. The pilot will be used to gather data to understand the long-term viability of hydrogen vehicles in the UAE.

The pilot is supported by the Integrated Transport Center in Abu Dhabi, and the high-speed refueller was provided by Linde, a leading global industrial gases and engineering company. Throughout the pilot, the fleet of hydrogen vehicles are being provided by Toyota, Al Futtaim Motors and BMW, and will be tested by taxi companies, including Tawasul.

Eng. Bader Saeed Al Lamki, CEO of ADNOC Distribution, said: “In line with the UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative, we are committed to providing sustainable mobility solutions and supporting the energy transition. The opening of the region’s first high-speed green hydrogen pilot refuelling station, H2GO, demonstrates our commitment to leverage technology and innovation, and to capitalise on partnerships to deliver low-carbon solutions to customers.”

Hydrogen is an energy carrier that creates no carbon dioxide (CO2) when used. As a result, no carbon is released into the atmosphere from production to end-use. The station creates hydrogen from water using an electrolyser powered by clean-grid electricity. The H2GO station is ADNOC Distribution’s latest mobility development following the launch of E2GO to build and operate electric vehicle infrastructure in Abu Dhabi and the wider UAE.

Abdulla Balalaa, Chairman of Masdar City, said: “Masdar City has been committed to sustainable transportation since its inception in 2006 and has been a pioneer in multiple forms of transportation from the first EVs in the UAE to the autonomous PRT system. We welcome this partnership with ADNOC to pilot hydrogen in the UAE. Currently transportation accounts for approximately 20% of the total global carbon output, and we need to work across every technology possible on our journey to net zero. We are excited to continue to support carbon free transportation in the UAE.”

ADNOC has allocated an initial $15 billion to advance lower-carbon solutions and develop decarbonisation technologies to reduce its carbon intensity by 25% by 2030 and enable its Net Zero by 2045 ambition.