Government will Focus on Training and Employment in Green Hydrogen in Co-operation With International Partners

The National Assembly, during a plenary session held on Monday evening, chaired by Mr. El Hassan Ould Baha, Third Vice-President of the Assembly, approved a draft law containing the Green Hydrogen Code.

The Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Mr. Mohamed Ould Mohamed Maoulainine Ould Khaled, explained that our country has great potential in the field of renewable energies, as well as vast areas suitable for various economic activities, especially the production of hydrogen and its derivatives, adding that the country’s geographical location also gives it an advantage to export energy to international markets.

The growing demand for green hydrogen and the rapid growth of the regional and continental electricity market is an opportunity for our country, which is connected to the sub-regional grid and has recently adopted an electricity code that allows the private sector to invest in electricity production, he said, noting that the exploitation of green hydrogen will provide our country with many economic benefits.

He pointed out that through the mass production of electricity from renewable energy sources, the surplus can be introduced into the national grid for local use in the residential, commercial and industrial sectors or for export to the sub-regional grid, which will contribute significantly to reducing the burden of the energy sector on the state budget.

He pointed out that the preparation of the Green Hydrogen Code as a first step to establish the necessary regulatory framework to regulate the various industrial activities raw and refined for the production of green hydrogen, and to gain the confidence of international investors who are showing increasing interest in developing and exploiting green hydrogen projects in our country, concluding his presentation by reviewing the main headings included in the mentioned draft law.

The Minister added that the government will focus on training and employment in the field of green hydrogen in cooperation with international partners, noting that there is no objection to the exploitation of mineral license areas for the exploration and production of green hydrogen, and that SNIM is in line with this new trend.

For their part, the MPs praised the minister’s presentation, and focused their interventions on the realism of moving towards the production of green hydrogen in light of the current reality of other energies in the country, and the availability of the infrastructure required for the production and export of green hydrogen.

They called for good preparation and transparent management of its projects, and called for organizing a training workshop for MPs on the topic of green hydrogen to familiarize them with the technical aspects of this type of energy.

They also expressed their concerns about the risks resulting from the transportation and storage of highly flammable green hydrogen and the need to take precautions in a scientifically studied manner; and the need to train human resources to keep up with green hydrogen projects and create job opportunities for young people through them.