State oil giant Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has started constructing what will be the first high-speed hydrogen refuelling station in the Middle East.

The refuelling plant, which is being built in Masdar City and will be completed later this year, will create clean hydrogen from water, using an electrolyser powered by green electricity.

Toyota and Al-Futtaim Motors will provide hydrogen-powered vehicles to test the refuelling station, under a partnership with ADNOC, which aims to achieve net zero by 2050.

The pilot project will help ADNOC understand how hydrogen with high-speed refuelling can best be used in mobility projects to support the UAE’s National Hydrogen Strategy, which aims to position the country among the largest producers of hydrogen by 2031.

Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO said: “The need to reduce carbon emissions to address climate change is clear and urgent. ADNOC is placing sustainability and decarbonisation at the heart of its strategy and while we decarbonise our operations today, we are making robust investments to be a supplier of choice for the clean energies of tomorrow.

“Hydrogen will be a critical fuel for the energy transition, helping to decarbonise economies at scale and it is a natural extension of our core business. Through this pilot programme, we will gather important data on how hydrogen transportation technology performs as we continue to develop the UAE’s hydrogen infrastructure.”