MUSCAT: In a landmark move aimed at easing the substantial permitting burden faced by green hydrogen developers, Hydrom — the orchestrator of Oman’s green hydrogen industry — has announced the launch of a Single Permit System designed to streamline the approvals process.

The announcement was made during a webinar held last week to launch Oman’s third green hydrogen auction round. A land block of up to 300 square kilometers near the Special Economic Zone at Duqm is being prepared, with Hydrom inviting proposals for projects covering a minimum of 100 square kilometers.

Traditionally, developers seeking to secure access to land for project development have had to engage with over a dozen government ministries and agencies. In a bid to simplify this often cumbersome process, Hydrom has now introduced a one-stop system.

Eng. Abdulaziz Said al Shidhani, Managing Director of Hydrom, explained that the Single Permit System was one of the key outcomes of the National Green Hydrogen Ecosystem Readiness Laboratory, held last September in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy and Minerals and the Oman Vision 2040 Implementation Follow-Up Unit.

“With the support of the entire ecosystem, we have reached a point where we can issue a single automatic permit on the day of award, granting developers immediate access to their allocated land — without the need to knock on the doors of the individual authorities that typically issue these approvals,” he stated.

Entities traditionally involved in the permitting process include the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, Environment Authority, Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ), Ministry of Defence, Civil Aviation Authority, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, Nama Group, Authority for Public Services Regulation, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, Royal Oman Police (ROP) – Customs and Security Divisions, Asyad Group / Port Authorities, among others.

“Of course, developers still have certain obligations to fulfill, but we believe the Single Permit System will significantly reduce administrative complexity and save valuable time, enabling developers to begin their activities much sooner,” added Eng. Abdulaziz.

In another notable update to the auction format, Hydrom announced that it is now exploring the possibility of allowing developers to sell surplus renewable electricity — a feature not available in earlier auction rounds. If approved, this move could substantially enhance the investment appeal of green hydrogen projects in Oman.

Commenting on the potential policy shift, Eng. Abdulaziz said: “For those who participated in Rounds 1 and 2, you'll recall that the sale of surplus electricity was restricted to connected industries. This time, we are open to exploring broader avenues for surplus power sales, provided two conditions are met: First, it must not affect the minimum hydrogen production targets set for each block; and second, the necessary regulatory approvals must be obtained under Oman’s existing regulatory framework.”

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