Qatar National Research Foundation (QNRF) plans to launch a fund dedicated to exploring the prospects and opportunities for hydrogen energy in Qatar next year, a top QNRF official said.  

Dr Abdul Sattar Al-Taie, Executive Director, QNRF said hydrogen will be an important component in the developing the new energy mix and blue hydrogen will play a key role in this transition.  

“While the long-term objective is to move eventually to green hydrogen production, it seems likely that, in the initial stages of any transition to the hydrogen economy, we need to rely on blue hydrogen in large part from fossil fuels using existing energy systems with enhanced CCS. Hence natural gas producing countries, including Qatar, which is blessed to be ranked 3rd in terms the world's total natural gas reserves, is set to play a big role in providing a bridge between the existing fossil fuel economy and the future hydrogen economy,” he said speaking at an online event last week jointly organised by the European Union Delegation to State of Kuwait and the State of Qatar, EU GCC Clean Energy Technology Network and QNRF. 

“In addition, the accumulated expertise in the gigantic cryogenic liquefaction plants and the world’s largest carrier fleet in operation for transporting LNG (liquified natural gas) can offer great opportunities to the international community in the efforts to transition to a hydrogen economy,” he added.  

Decarbonising the energy sector and related industries globally using hydrogen will require an estimated investment of $15 trillion between now and 2050, he said, offering a huge economic opportunity. 

Research funding 

QNRF has funded more than 150 research projects in the energy sector with a total budget of $120 million representing 10 percent of the organisation’s total funding through funding programs awarded to local researchers from academia, public, and industrial stakeholders, he said. These projects cover the full spectrum of upstream processes in terms of energy production to downstream processes including gas-to-liquids GTL (gas-to-liquids) and LNG processes and transportation. 

(Writing by Sowmya Sundar; Editing by Anoop Menon) 

(anoop.menon@refinitiv.com) 

Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. The content does not provide tax, legal or investment advice or opinion regarding the suitability, value or profitability of any particular security, portfolio or investment strategy. Read our full disclaimer policy here. 

© ZAWYA 2021