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UAE National Hydrogen Strategy
Adopted by the Cabinet in July 2023 and unrevised since. Below are its targets, its enablers, and the three headline numbers that circulate in forms no primary source supports.
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Targets
Three figures carry the strategy. Note that the source document calls the 2050 number a forecast, not a target.
As of 2031
1.4Mt/yr
The strategy targets 1.4 million tonnes per annum of low-carbon hydrogen by 2031, described by the UAE Government as 1.0 Mt/yr green and 0.4 Mt/yr blue.
As of 2040
7.5Mt/yr
The UAE Government states a 2040 production target of 7.5 Mt/yr.
As of 2050
15Mt/yr
The UAE Government states 15 Mt/yr by 2050. The underlying strategy document gives 14.9 Mt/yr and describes it as a forecast including low export potential, not a target.
Source: UAE Government (u.ae) · u.ae · 30 December 2024 · Retrieved 26 August 2026
Source: UAE Government (u.ae) · u.ae · 30 December 2024 · Retrieved 26 August 2026
Source: UAE Government (u.ae) · u.ae · 30 December 2024 · Retrieved 26 August 2026
The three figures as the government portal publishes them. What is missing from this chart is what operates today: the country's largest electrolyser is 1.25 MW and has produced more than 100 tonnes since 2021 — under one ten-thousandth of the 2031 target.
Mt/yr of low-carbon hydrogen
| As of | Mt/yr |
|---|---|
| 2031 | 1.4 |
| 2040 | 7.5 |
| 2050 | 15 |
Source: UAE Government (u.ae) · u.ae · Retrieved 26 August 2026
The detail that gets dropped
The government portal states 1 Mt/yr green and 0.4 Mt/yr blue. The strategy document splits the green half again.
The government portal reports 1.0 Mt/yr green and 0.4 Mt/yr blue. The strategy document splits the green half again, and half of it is produced outside the UAE. The pink slice is 0.5% of the target and is drawn at a minimum width so it stays visible.
| Component | Mt/yr |
|---|---|
| Green, produced in the UAE | 0.50 |
| Green, produced abroad | 0.50 |
| Blue — methane with CCUS | 0.40 |
| Pink — nuclear | 0.0075 |
Source: Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure — UAE National Hydrogen Strategy · ise.fraunhofer.de · 1 July 2023 · Retrieved 26 August 2026
Hydrogen oases
The oases are the strategy's central spatial idea. No location has been officially designated.
2oases by 2031
The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure states the strategy involves establishing two hydrogen oases by 2031 and increasing their number to five by 2050.
Source: Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure · moei.gov.ae · Retrieved 26 August 2026
The strategy describes clean energy precincts and hydrogen oases as a practical approach to accelerating industry adoption, supporting demand generation and optimising development costs by co-locating production and end use in clusters.
Source: Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure · ise.fraunhofer.de · 1 July 2023 · Retrieved 26 August 2026
No UAE government source names the location of any hydrogen oasis. Law firm analysis has suggested Ruwais and KIZAD as likely candidates, using the word 'likely'.
Caveat: This is analyst inference, not an official designation. As of August 2026 no announcement of a formal oasis designation was found.
Source: A&O Shearman (analysis) · aoshearman.com · 21 November 2023 · Retrieved 26 August 2026
Handle with care
Each has a defensible narrower version. None should be used in the popular form.
The UAE launched a Hydrogen Leadership Roadmap at COP26 in November 2021. Its text says the listed projects 'will target 25 percent market share in the key export markets, including Japan, South Korea, Germany, and India initially' and states no year.
Caveat: This is widely misquoted as '25% of the global hydrogen market by 2030'. The primary text says export markets, not the global market, and gives no year.
Source: Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure · uaebarq.ae · 4 November 2021 · Retrieved 26 August 2026
8.7GW (modelled requirement)
The strategy document states that delivering 0.5 Mt/yr of domestic green hydrogen would require an in-country electrolysis capacity of 8.7 GW powered by 15.3 GW of solar PV. Neither the UAE Government's public strategy page nor the ministerial announcement states any GW figure.
Caveat: This is a scenario assumption, not an announced deployment target. Presenting it as a UAE commitment converts a model input into a policy pledge.
Source: Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure · ise.fraunhofer.de · 1 July 2023 · Retrieved 26 August 2026
Masdar announced a target of 1 million tonnes of green hydrogen and derivatives by 2030 in January 2023. Bloomberg reported in October 2024 that the target had been pushed beyond 2030. Masdar's current green hydrogen page states only that it aims to be a leading producer by 2030, with no tonnage figure.
Caveat: Do not present '1 Mt/yr by 2030' as a live Masdar target. If used, date it to January 2023 and note the 2024 revision.
Source: Masdar / Bloomberg · masdar.ae · Retrieved 26 August 2026
Who does what
The UAE Cabinet approved the National Hydrogen Strategy on 3 July 2023. The strategy document is published by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure and was prepared with Fraunhofer ISE and GHD Advisory.
Source: UAE Cabinet · uaecabinet.ae · 3 July 2023 · Retrieved 26 August 2026
10enablers
The strategy is organised around ten enablers: policy, regulation and standards; finance and investments; industry development and demand activation; global collaboration; sustainable commercial and economic models; resources and assets; enabling infrastructure; skills and education; research and innovation; and climate, safety and social drivers.
Caveat: The full list is extracted from the strategy PDF; the UAE Government page shows it only as an image.
Source: UAE Cabinet · uaecabinet.ae · 3 July 2023 · Retrieved 26 August 2026
As of August 2026 the July 2023 National Hydrogen Strategy remains in force unrevised. No update was found on u.ae, MOEI, the Baker McKenzie policy tracker, the CMS expert guide, or the IEA Global Hydrogen Review 2026 policy chapter.
Caveat: A PDF titled 'National Hydrogen Strategy Update' hosted on the Emirati-German Energy Partnership domain is Germany's strategy update, published by the German BMWK. It is not a UAE document.
Source: Multiple sources checked · u.ae · 30 December 2024 · Retrieved 26 August 2026
The UAE launched a Hydrogen Leadership Roadmap at COP26 in November 2021. Its text says the listed projects 'will target 25 percent market share in the key export markets, including Japan, South Korea, Germany, and India initially' and states no year.
Caveat: This is widely misquoted as '25% of the global hydrogen market by 2030'. The primary text says export markets, not the global market, and gives no year.
Source: Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure · uaebarq.ae · 4 November 2021 · Retrieved 26 August 2026
Abu Dhabi's Supreme Council for Financial and Economic Affairs issued a Low-Carbon Hydrogen Policy in November 2023, focused on creating hydrogen oases and clean electricity parks.
Source: Abu Dhabi Media Office · mediaoffice.abudhabi · 29 November 2023 · Retrieved 26 August 2026
Mubadala, ADNOC and ADQ formed the Abu Dhabi Hydrogen Alliance in January 2021 to develop the emirate's hydrogen position.
Source: ADQ · adq.ae · 17 January 2021 · Retrieved 26 August 2026
Masdar announced a target of 1 million tonnes of green hydrogen and derivatives by 2030 in January 2023. Bloomberg reported in October 2024 that the target had been pushed beyond 2030. Masdar's current green hydrogen page states only that it aims to be a leading producer by 2030, with no tonnage figure.
Caveat: Do not present '1 Mt/yr by 2030' as a live Masdar target. If used, date it to January 2023 and note the 2024 revision.
Source: Masdar / Bloomberg · masdar.ae · Retrieved 26 August 2026
300kt/yr
ADNOC's hydrogen page states over 300 kt/yr of hydrogen production in its downstream facilities and an ambition to increase this to 500 kt/yr.
Caveat: The page is undated and internally stale: it gives a 2025 start-up for the TA'ZIZ ammonia plant, whereas ADNOC's own 2024 press release gives 2027.
Source: ADNOC · adnoc.ae · Retrieved 26 August 2026
Exports
ADNOC delivered a bulk shipment of CCS-enabled certified low-carbon ammonia to Mitsui & Co. in Japan, produced by Fertiglobe at Ruwais and certified by TUV SUD.
Source: ADNOC · adnoc.ae · 14 May 2024 · Retrieved 26 August 2026
ADNOC sent a first low-carbon ammonia shipment from the UAE to Hamburg in September 2022, with Aurubis as end user.
Source: ADNOC · adnoc.ae · 1 September 2022 · Retrieved 26 August 2026
Masdar signed agreements with the Port of Amsterdam, SkyNRG, Evos Amsterdam and Zenith Energy to study a green hydrogen supply chain from Abu Dhabi to Amsterdam, followed by a joint study agreement on a liquefied green hydrogen chain.
Source: Masdar · masdar.ae · 6 December 2023 · Retrieved 26 August 2026
The European Commission and the UAE agreed in April 2025 to launch free trade negotiations, with a scope that includes renewable energy, green hydrogen and critical raw materials. The first round began on 24 June 2025.
Source: European Commission · north-africa-middle-east-gulf.ec.europa.eu · 10 April 2025 · Retrieved 26 August 2026
Japan and the UAE signed the Japan-UAE Innovation Partnership in July 2023, including an Energy Security and Industry Accelerator covering hydrogen, ammonia, renewable energy and energy conservation.
Source: METI (Japan) · meti.go.jp · 24 July 2023 · Retrieved 26 August 2026
The Emirati-German Energy Partnership, established in 2017 and led by MOEI and Germany's federal economics ministry, names hydrogen as a priority area.
Source: Emirati-German Energy Partnership · energypartnership-uae.org · Retrieved 26 August 2026
Wider policy
The UAE announced its Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative at Expo 2020 Dubai in October 2021. The national strategy covers six sectors: power, industry, transport, buildings, waste and agriculture.
Source: UAE Government (u.ae) · u.ae · 6 October 2025 · Retrieved 26 August 2026
47% by 2035 vs 2019
The UAE's third Nationally Determined Contribution, submitted to the UNFCCC in November 2024, targets a 47% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 against a 2019 baseline: from 196.3 to 103.5 MtCO2e.
Source: UAE Government / UNFCCC · unfccc.int · 6 November 2024 · Retrieved 26 August 2026
19.8GW by 2030
The third NDC states an aim to increase renewable energy capacity to 19.8 GW by 2030, up from 3.7 GW, with clean energy reaching 30% of the mix by 2030.
Caveat: Official sources give different baselines for this target: 14.2 GW on the Energy Strategy 2050 page (clean energy including nuclear) and 3.7 GW in the NDC (renewables only). State the baseline when citing.
Source: UAE Government / UNFCCC · unfccc.int · 6 November 2024 · Retrieved 26 August 2026
150-200AED billion by 2030
The updated UAE Energy Strategy 2050 provides for investment of AED 150-200 billion by 2030.
Source: UAE Government (u.ae) · u.ae · 30 December 2024 · Retrieved 26 August 2026
800AED billion non-oil exports
The 'We the UAE 2031' vision sets a non-oil exports target of AED 800 billion by 2031 and a GDP target of AED 3 trillion. The word 'hydrogen' does not appear on the official vision page.
Caveat: Any claim that 'We the UAE 2031 targets hydrogen exports' is unsupported. The only link that can be supported is that hydrogen derivatives would count toward the sector-agnostic non-oil exports figure.
Source: UAE Government (u.ae) · u.ae · 19 November 2025 · Retrieved 26 August 2026
In their words
“The UAE's vision is to be amongst the top global producers of low carbon hydrogen.”
Source: Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure · ise.fraunhofer.de · 1 July 2023
“The UAE aims to become a leading global producer of low-carbon hydrogen by its 60th anniversary in 2031.”
Source: Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure · ise.fraunhofer.de · 1 July 2023
“The primary use for low-carbon hydrogen should be to support the decarbonisation of the UAE's domestic industry.”
Source: Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure · ise.fraunhofer.de · 1 July 2023
“The UAE will establish clean energy precincts and hydrogen oases as a practical approach to accelerating industry adoption.”
Source: Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure · ise.fraunhofer.de · 1 July 2023
“The UAE sees blue as a steppingstone to increase domestic hydrogen use and distribution.”
Source: Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure · ise.fraunhofer.de · 1 July 2023
“The UAE is well positioned to become a significant global exporter, leveraging its robust infrastructure and vital geographic location.”
Source: Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure · ise.fraunhofer.de · 1 July 2023
“It is a long-term plan to turn the UAE into a leading and reliable producer and supplier of low-carbon hydrogen by 2031.”
Source: MOEI · moei.gov.ae · 4 July 2023
“Today, green hydrogen is under pressure and the market is shrinking. A lot of people who went into this venture are out. We are not.”
Source: AGBI · agbi.com · 21 August 2025
Last verified: 26 August 2026