Decarbonization and clean energy pioneers sign strategic collaboration on hydrogen research and development to help accelerate adoption of green hydrogen to support low-carbon transformation of the steel sector

Emirates Steel Arkan (ESA), Ohmium International (Ohmium) and Khalifa University of Science and Technology today announced the signing of a Strategic Collaboration on Hydrogen Research and Development, which was witnessed by the UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT).

The agreement was signed at MoIAT’s pavilion in the Green Zone of COP28, which takes place until 12 December at Expo City Dubai. It was signed by Eng. Saeed Al Ghafri, CEO of Emirates Steel, Arne Ballantine, CEO and Co-Founder of Ohmium International and Dr. Ebrahim Al-Hajri

Senior Vice President, Support Services at Khalifa University. The signing was witnessed by His Excellency Omar Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology and His Excellency Saeed Ghumran Al Remeithi, Group CEO of Emirates Steel Arkan.

ESA is one of the largest publicly traded steel and building materials manufacturers in the region; Ohmium is a leading green hydrogen company that designs, manufactures, and deploys advanced Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyzers. Khalifa University is an internationally recognized academic institution based in the UAE.

The collaboration, under MoIAT’s ‘Make it in the Emirates’ initiative, aims to deliver a comprehensive research and development program to help accelerate the uptake of green hydrogen, a clean energy source across the steel sector, ultimately enabling ESA to be among the leading manufacturers of green steel. This strategic collaboration between the private sector and academia will help to advance the low-carbon transformation of the UAE steel sector. Under the agreement, the three entities will develop cleaner production methods for steel products i.e., green steel, which can be used in sustainable construction and infrastructure projects.

The agreement is in line with the UAE National Strategy for Industry and Advanced Technology, which aims to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors while increasing the competitiveness of national industries. The strategy supports the UAE Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative as well as the country’s economic diversification plans.

The contribution of each organization’s unique perspective and knowledge will be instrumental in helping rapidly build the expertise to fully optimize the application of green hydrogen in the production of Direct Reduced Iron (DRI). The collaboration will also support the optimization of Ohmium's advanced power electronics capabilities to further enhance the power quality of the power grid in a steel plant.

Abdulla Al Shamsi, Assistant Undersecretary for the Industrial Growth Sector at the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, said, “The UAE is pioneering future industries, such as green steel, in line with its efforts to decarbonize its industries. Research and development plays a crucial role in this, helping to foster new technologies and innovations that enable industrial decarbonization. The most productive R&D ecosystems are underpinned by strong partnerships and alignment between government, industry, finance and academia. That is why MoIAT is overseeing and supporting partnerships that align with its Technology Transformation Program to unlock the potential of innovation to drive sustainable industrial development.”

“At Emirates Steel Arkan, our ambition is to achieve net zero by 2050 through driving the industry’s decarbonization at scale, supporting the nation’s strategic initiative to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. That means incorporating the latest innovative technologies in manufacturing, efficiency, and sustainability to deliver the high-quality, low-carbon products of tomorrow,” said Saeed Alghafri, CEO of Emirates Steel, an Emirates Steel Arkan company.

“We’re delighted to be working with Ohmium and Khalifa University on this pioneering research and development program. Bringing together Ohmium’s advanced PEM electrolyzers with the academic excellence of Khalifa University is a critical step in our journey to adopting green hydrogen to produce greener steel.”

Professor Sir John O’Reilly, President, Khalifa University, said: “This collaboration with Emirates Steel Arkan and Ohmium International provides Khalifa University with a special opportunity to further optimize the application of green hydrogen into the production of steel. With our research expertise, gained especially through our previous partnerships with ESA, we have acquired the capability that will contribute towards cleaner production methods and optimize the application of green hydrogen. We are excited to assist our partners in fast-tracking production on a much bigger scale and support decarbonization efforts within the UAE and beyond.”

“It’s great to be working with Emirates Steel Arkan and Khalifa University, two industrial and academic trailblazers in the innovation and application of clean energy. Ohmium is excited to contribute our advanced modular PEM electrolyzer technology to this collaboration, enabling the use of green hydrogen to help produce high value, low carbon impact steel," said Arne Ballantine, CEO, Ohmium International.

"This unique collaboration leverages each organization's respective strengths to go faster, wider and deeper when it comes to supporting the steel sector's ambitions to decarbonize."