The latest report from the World Economic Forum identified countries in North Africa “with high potential” for the production of low-carbon hydrogen. Morocco and Egypt arrive in the leading group formed by 6 countries.
As part of its regional and thematic work, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has just published a report entitled “Roadmap for low-carbon hydrogen in North Africa.
We can read that new players are emerging in this market.
This is, for example, the case of Morocco.
According to the WEF report, dependence on imported fossil fuels has led to the strong development of renewable energy with 4.6 GW already installed.
The country is a gateway connecting sub-Saharan Africa and Europe, so it has invested heavily in electricity transmission interconnections and hydrogen pipelines along the Atlantic coast. The conjunction of the two elements allows the kingdom of Mohamed VI to position itself in a very competitive manner with a significant offer.
Morocco estimates that it can produce 30 TWh (the equivalent of 0.9 million tonnes per year). While part of it will be intended for its domestic market, exports to Europe form the keystone of its hydrogen strategy.
Almost an identical scenario on the Egyptian side.
Global maritime trade passing through the Suez Canal could make it a significant player. Egypt also benefits from substantial revenues from oil and therefore has the means to invest more significantly.
More than 83 billion dollars are mobilized in clean hydrogen projects. Objective: produce 10 million tonnes per year and capture 8% of global hydrogen trade by 2040.
Other countries in the top group include Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The WEF has also identified other promising countries.
Within this list of 16 countries in total, we include Algeria which comes in 11th place, and Tunisia in 13th position.
