Agreements Signed to Develop Green Hydrogen in Oman

Officials sign the agreement in Oman on Sunday. (ONA)
Officials sign the agreement in Oman on Sunday. (ONA)
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Agreements Signed to Develop Green Hydrogen in Oman

Officials sign the agreement in Oman on Sunday. (ONA)
Officials sign the agreement in Oman on Sunday. (ONA)

Oman’s Hydrom, the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ), and ACME Group signed on Sunday a Project Development Agreement and Usufruct Agreement for the incorporation of Phase 2 and 3 of ACME’s green hydrogen and ammonia project in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm.

The agreements mark the formal onboarding of one of Oman’s earliest hydrogen initiatives into Hydrom’s portfolio, concluding the consolidation of all commercial hydrogen developments under a single national structure.

The agreements were signed by Eng. Salim Nasser Al Aufi, Oman’s Energy Minister and Hydrom’s Chairman, along with Sheikh Dr. Ali Masoud Al Sunaidy, Chairman of OPAZ, and Gursharan Jassal, Country Manager for ACME.

Phases two and three of the project will cover an area of 80 square kilometers, with each phase expected to produce approximately 71,000 tons of green hydrogen and 400,000 tons of green ammonia annually.

The signing follows the commencement of the first phase, which will produce 100,000 tons of green ammonia and is supported by an offtake agreement with Norway’s Yara company.

Upon completion of all phases, the project aims to reach an annual production capacity of 0.9 million tons of green ammonia.

“This signing represents another pivotal step in Hydrom’s roadmap to expand its integrated portfolio of green hydrogen projects in Oman,” said Eng. Abdulaziz Al Shidhani, Managing Director of Hydrom.

“The inclusion of one of the earliest hydrogen initiatives under the national framework overseen by Hydrom not only aligns previous efforts with regulatory standards but also underscores Hydrom’s commitment to organized, scalable development,” he added.

Al Shidhani also noted that this move reinforces investor confidence and strengthens Oman’s position in the global hydrogen market.

Eng. Ahmed bin Ali Akaak, CEO of the Duqm Special Economic Zone, said that the agreement reflects the zone’s success in attracting green hydrogen and green ammonia projects.

“It highlights the growing interest in the sector within the Duqm strategy (2025–2030) and aligns with Oman Vision 2040 and the Sultanate’s goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050,” he stressed.

Following this agreement, the number of green hydrogen projects awarded by Hydrom in Al Wusta and Dhofar governorates rises to nine projects, with a total investment exceeding $50 billion and a combined production capacity of approximately 1.5 million tons of green hydrogen annually by 2030.

These projects rely on nearly 35 gigawatts of renewable energy, within a unified national framework that enables large-scale implementation and meets growing global demand.



Oil Heads for Second Weekly Loss on Lingering Oversupply Concerns

Panamanian-flagged Caribbean Glory vessel with a capacity of 2 million barrels of oil, loads crude oil at a TLU (Tanker Loading Unit) in the Gulf of Morrosquillo, operated by Cenit, owned by Ecopetrol, in Covenas, Colombia October 1, 2025. REUTERS/Nelson Bocanegra
Panamanian-flagged Caribbean Glory vessel with a capacity of 2 million barrels of oil, loads crude oil at a TLU (Tanker Loading Unit) in the Gulf of Morrosquillo, operated by Cenit, owned by Ecopetrol, in Covenas, Colombia October 1, 2025. REUTERS/Nelson Bocanegra
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Oil Heads for Second Weekly Loss on Lingering Oversupply Concerns

Panamanian-flagged Caribbean Glory vessel with a capacity of 2 million barrels of oil, loads crude oil at a TLU (Tanker Loading Unit) in the Gulf of Morrosquillo, operated by Cenit, owned by Ecopetrol, in Covenas, Colombia October 1, 2025. REUTERS/Nelson Bocanegra
Panamanian-flagged Caribbean Glory vessel with a capacity of 2 million barrels of oil, loads crude oil at a TLU (Tanker Loading Unit) in the Gulf of Morrosquillo, operated by Cenit, owned by Ecopetrol, in Covenas, Colombia October 1, 2025. REUTERS/Nelson Bocanegra

Oil prices rose on Friday but remained on track for a second consecutive weekly loss after three days of declines on worries about excess supply and slowing US demand.

Brent crude futures rose 50 cents, or 0.8%, to $63.88 a barrel by 1243 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude was up 51 cents, or 0.9%, at $59.94.

Both benchmarks are poised to register weekly declines of more than 1.5% as leading global producers raise output.

"The market continues to weigh a rising oil surplus against mixed macro," said SEB analyst Ole Hvalbye, Reuters reported.

An unexpected US inventory build of 5.2 million barrels reignited oversupply fears this week, said IG Markets analyst Tony Sycamore.

US crude stocks rose more than expected on higher imports and reduced refining activity while gasoline and distillate inventories declined, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday.

Concern over the effects of the longest government shutdown in US history also pressured oil prices.

The Trump administration has ordered flight reductions at major airports because of a shortage of air traffic controllers while private reports are pointing to a weaker US labor market in October.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, known collectively as OPEC+, decided on Sunday to increase output slightly in December. However, the group also paused further increases for the first quarter of next year, wary of a supply glut.

European and US sanctions on Russia and Iran, meanwhile, are disrupting supplies to the world's largest importers, China and India, providing some support for global markets.

China's crude imports in October rose 2.3% from September and were up 8.2% from a year earlier at 48.36 million tons, customs data showed, against a backdrop of high utilisation rates at refineries in the world's largest oil importer.

"China kept importing elevated amounts of crude in October," UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said. "That move keeps those barrels away from the OECD, where inventories remain low."

Swiss commodities trader Gunvor said on Thursday that it had withdrawn its proposal to buy the foreign assets of Russian energy company Lukoil after the US Treasury called it Russia's "puppet" and signalled that Washington opposed the deal.

"Gunvor scrapping its Lukoil assets purchase suggests the US is maintaining its maximum pressure campaign against Russia, and potential strict enforcement of sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil," said Vandana Hari at oil market analysis provider Vanda Insights.


China Announces 1-year Suspension of Expanded Rare Earth Export Controls

A glass jar containing the rare earth metal Terbium (L) is pictured inside the storage room of Tradium, a company specialised in trading rare earths, in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on November 4, 2025. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)
A glass jar containing the rare earth metal Terbium (L) is pictured inside the storage room of Tradium, a company specialised in trading rare earths, in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on November 4, 2025. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)
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China Announces 1-year Suspension of Expanded Rare Earth Export Controls

A glass jar containing the rare earth metal Terbium (L) is pictured inside the storage room of Tradium, a company specialised in trading rare earths, in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on November 4, 2025. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)
A glass jar containing the rare earth metal Terbium (L) is pictured inside the storage room of Tradium, a company specialised in trading rare earths, in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on November 4, 2025. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)

China suspended an array of export control measures it imposed on October 9, including expanded curbs on some rare earths materials and equipment, as well as lithium battery materials and super-hard materials, the Commerce Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

The suspensions were effective immediately and would apply through November 10, 2026, the ministry said.

The announcement confirmed and formalized an agreement reached after US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping hammered out a trade truce last month.

The White House and China's Commerce Ministry had both said such an announcement was forthcoming.


FAO: World Food Prices Fall for 2nd Consecutive Month in October

People wait in line outside Adams County Emergency Food Bank for their completed grocery cart, weeks into the continuing US government shutdown, in Commerce City, Colorado, US October 31, 2025.  REUTERS/Mark Makela
People wait in line outside Adams County Emergency Food Bank for their completed grocery cart, weeks into the continuing US government shutdown, in Commerce City, Colorado, US October 31, 2025. REUTERS/Mark Makela
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FAO: World Food Prices Fall for 2nd Consecutive Month in October

People wait in line outside Adams County Emergency Food Bank for their completed grocery cart, weeks into the continuing US government shutdown, in Commerce City, Colorado, US October 31, 2025.  REUTERS/Mark Makela
People wait in line outside Adams County Emergency Food Bank for their completed grocery cart, weeks into the continuing US government shutdown, in Commerce City, Colorado, US October 31, 2025. REUTERS/Mark Makela

World food commodity prices fell for a second consecutive month in October, driven largely by ample global supplies, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Friday.

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks a basket of globally traded food commodities, averaged 126.4 points in October, down from a revised 128.5 in September.

The index was down slightly compared to its October 2024 level and stood 21.1% below its March 2022 peak.

In a separate report, FAO forecast 2025 world cereal production at a record 2.990 billion metric tons, after projecting 2.971 billion tons last month.

The latest outlook was up 4.4% from 2024 output.