MUSCAT, Oman, Nov. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sultanate of Oman, represented by Hydrom, the national orchestrator of its green hydrogen strategy, has awarded two integrated green hydrogen projects in Duqm under its third auction round, with a combined planned production capacity of approximately 121,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually by 2032. Announced during COP31, the agreements will expand Oman's green hydrogen portfolio, introducing green ammonium nitrate production alongside additional green ammonia capacity, as the global hydrogen industry places greater emphasis on project economics and downstream markets. Building on the success of previous auction rounds, Hydrom also launched its fourth auction round, introducing a new investment opportunity linking renewable energy and green hydrogen production with the growing power requirements of data centres.
Under the first agreement, Oman's Petrogas E&P and Italy's Bio3Energy Srl will introduce green ammonium nitrate as a new downstream product in Oman, with applications in the fertiliser and mining sectors. Targeting 625,000 tonnes annually by 2032, the project will use approximately 50,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year, produced from 1.16 GW of renewable energy capacity on a 100-square-kilometre site. The agreement includes a proposed reservation of another 100 square kilometres for future expansion.
Under the second agreement, Indonesia's PLN Indonesia Power Renewables, Oman's Alawi Enterprises and Singapore's HBA Offshore International PTE will develop an integrated green hydrogen and ammonia project on 100 square kilometres. It targets 400,000 tonnes of green ammonia annually for export by 2032, using approximately 1.45 GW of solar generation capacity and 1 GW of electrolysis capacity.
Round 3 introduced a more flexible, investor-oriented framework informed by earlier auction experience and feedback from developers to enhance competitiveness and bidder participation. The auction allowed developers greater flexibility in defining their project footprints within a land block of up to 300 square kilometres, with a minimum project area of 100 square kilometres, alongside an extended nine-month bid preparation period. In response to its market sounding exercise and evolving global market dynamics, Hydrom also introduced targeted fiscal incentives, including a 90% reduction in land lease fees during development, potential further relief during the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) phase, reductions in base royalties during the initial years of production and corporate tax exemptions of up to ten years. These measures were designed to support early-stage project economics, enhance commercial viability and facilitate progress towards final investment decisions.
In Round 4, Hydrom is introducing the Green-Powered Data Centre Hydrogen Auction in Dhofar, offering investment opportunities across the energy and digital infrastructure sectors. With data centres serving as anchor offtakers, the auction will link renewable energy and green hydrogen production to their requirements for reliable electricity supply, introducing a demand-led approach to project allocation that supports the development of domestic hydrogen applications. Registration for expressions of interest is now open until February 2027.
Bidders wishing to participate in Round 4 are encouraged to register via Hydrom's official auction platform. Full registration guidelines are available at hydrom.om.
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OMAN AWARDS TWO GREEN HYDROGEN PROJECTS IN DUQM AND LAUNCHES ROUND 4 GREEN-POWERED DATA CENTRE HYDROGEN AUCTION AT COP31
OMAN AWARDS TWO GREEN HYDROGEN PROJECTS IN DUQM AND LAUNCHES ROUND 4 GREEN-POWERED DATA CENTRE HYDROGEN AUCTION AT COP31
- 'MAJU:ON Hackathon', a startup idea competition for Indonesian youth, held in Jakarta on November 11-12
- Seeking innovative business ideas in areas including AI agent development and energy efficiency
- Six outstanding teams to receive continued support, from startup training to investor connections
JAKARTA, Indonesia, Nov. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- SK Innovation E&S is continuing its program for a second year to identify promising business ideas in artificial intelligence transformation (AX) and energy, while helping young Indonesians build entrepreneurial skills.
SK Innovation E&S announced that it hosted the 'MAJU:ON Hackathon', a startup idea competition for Indonesian university students, on November 11–12 at Le Meridien Jakarta.
'MAJU:ON' is a program launched last year by SK Innovation E&S in partnership with UD Impact, a South Korean ESG solutions company, to support young entrepreneurs in Indonesia.
In the program's inaugural year, 220 teams applied. After a 10-month journey, three outstanding teams were selected. Last September, the teams visited Korea, where they had the opportunity to network with energy and environmental experts and explore the startup ecosystem in Busan. Ali Andika Wardhana, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Seoul, also met with the teams in Busan to offer his encouragement.
The hackathon marked the first event of MAJU:ON's second year, with the program expanding in scope and scale. While last year's program focused solely on energy and the environment, this year's program has broadened its scope to include AI. Around 300 teams applied, reflecting greater interest than in the program's inaugural year.
Thirty Indonesian university student teams took part in the hackathon. Their business ideas spanned AX—including AI agent development and AI-powered workflow automation—as well as energy solutions such as energy efficiency and distributed energy.
On the first day, participants took part in training sessions on refining business ideas, analyzing customers, developing global investor relations (IR) decks, and strengthening their presentation skills. Team presentations and judging took place on the second day. The judging panel evaluated each team's business feasibility, capabilities and other criteria before selecting the leading teams in each category.
A total of six outstanding teams were selected, with first-, second-, and third-place teams chosen in both the AX and energy categories. The top awards in the respective categories went to team 'Orbitani', whose platform uses AI to analyze satellite data and recommend the best crops for local conditions and soil characteristics, and team 'Little Mermaids', whose system monitors water temperature, salinity and oxygen levels at different depths to automatically identify optimal locations for shellfish farms.
Over the next year, the six selected teams will receive support throughout the startup journey. This will include training in entrepreneurship, business management and AI; networking opportunities with key Indonesian government officials and energy experts; and opportunities to connect with venture capital (VC) investors.
"This event is a starting point for discovering young people's ideas on AI transformation and energy challenges—issues that are drawing attention around the world—and helping them develop those ideas into viable businesses," said Choi Eun-jung, head of the Sustainability Management Team at SK Innovation E&S. "We will continue working to strengthen Indonesia's youth startup ecosystem and expand cooperation between Korea and Indonesia."
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SK Innovation E&S to Nurture Young Entrepreneurs in Indonesia's AI and Energy Sectors
SK Innovation E&S to Nurture Young Entrepreneurs in Indonesia's AI and Energy Sectors
