South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy has announced a 20-year green hydrogen import agreement with OQ, Oman’s integrated energy company, and the Sultanate of Oman. The deal covers up to 200,000 tonnes of green hydrogen equivalent per year — primarily in the form of green ammonia — with delivery beginning in 2029 following the completion of dedicated production and shipping infrastructure.
The agreement is the largest bilateral hydrogen supply contract signed to date in the Middle East and represents a landmark in the Gulf region’s transition from hydrocarbon exports to low-carbon energy exports. South Korea, which has committed to sourcing 50% of its hydrogen from imports by 2035, has been actively building long-term supply agreements with producers across Australia, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
Oman’s green hydrogen programme benefits from exceptionally high solar irradiance, proximity to shipping routes, and large undeveloped land areas suitable for renewable generation infrastructure. The country’s first large-scale green hydrogen export facility, at Duqm, is already under construction and is widely cited as a template for similar developments across the Gulf.
For the broader Middle East hydrogen sector — including the UAE — deals of this scale confirm that long-term demand for green hydrogen is real, contracted, and accelerating. The supply chain infrastructure being built for export will also reduce the cost of domestically produced hydrogen for local applications, including off-grid and distributed energy systems.
