Royal Decree No. 10/2023 allocates land for renewable energy and clean hydrogen projects

This Royal Decree, consisting of 8 Articles, aims to designate state-owned lands for renewable energy and clean hydrogen projects, as outlined in the attached planning drawing. The Decree specifies that (i) any granting or disposal of lands identified in Article 1 by relevant government agencies is strictly prohibited without prior written approval from the Ministry of Energy and Minerals (Article 2); (ii) Hydrogen Oman Company is granted the usufruct right over these lands upon the Ministry of Energy and Minerals' request (Article 3); (iii) Hydrogen Oman is authorized to divide the allocated lands and involve others through a bidding process for renewable energy and clean hydrogen projects. The Minister of Energy and Minerals can approve specific projects within 30 days of the decree's issuance, regardless of whether they underwent the auction procedure (Articles 4 and 5). The Minister of Energy and Minerals is responsible for establishing the foundations and regulations governing activities related to renewable energy and clean hydrogen projects.