Egypt’s Suez Canal Economic Zone signed an agreement with US company H2 Industries to build a waste-to-hydrogen plant in East Port Said, as the country seeks to become a regional green energy centre before Cop27 in November.
SCZone chairman Yehia Zaki and H2 Industries chief executive Michael Stusch signed an agreement on the sidelines of the Egypt Can industrial conference in Cairo’s New Administrative Capital on Tuesday.
The estimated cost of the project is $4 billion, including the power plant itself, the supply of waste, and the storage and transport of hydrogen.
The facility, which will convert four million tonnes of municipal solid waste into 300,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually, won preliminary approval this year.
“The next step will now be to work together with SCZone on confirming some of the key assumptions and to detail the pre-feasibility study further,” Mr Stusch told The National.
The company is hoping to sign final implementation agreements “in time for Cop27”, subject to approval from the SCZone, he said.
Egypt has raised its green hydrogen ambitions in recent months as it prepares to host the UN’s Cop27 climate summit in Sharm El Sheikh.
The country is aiming to increase renewable energy sources to 42 per cent by 2035 and will release a $40bn national hydrogen plan in the coming months.
Hydrogen is projected to account for 12 per cent of global energy use and 10 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions reductions by 2050, driven by climate change urgency and countries’ commitments to net zero, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.
Current annual hydrogen sales represent a market value of about $174bn — which already exceeds the value of annual trade in liquefied natural gas — and could grow to $600bn by 2050.
Egypt’s pipeline for green hydrogen projects stands at 11.62 gigawatts, equivalent to more than 1.57 million tonnes of green hydrogen, according to a research note from Rystad Energy last month.
That ranks the country in the world's top three green hydrogen pipelines, after Australia and on par with Mauritania, the Oslo-based energy research and business intelligence company said. About 80 per cent of the projects are planned for the SCZone.
Favourable factors include Egypt’s location, natural gas infrastructure, liquefaction facilities, bunkering market, marine ports and high solar and wind potential.
“Egypt has all the prerequisites to become a green hydrogen giant — fantastic renewable potential, space for mega projects and construction expertise,” said Minh Khoi Le, head of hydrogen at Rystad Energy.
“Sitting between three continents and with the Suez Canal carrying approximately 12 per cent of all the seaborne freight in the world, Egypt can supply renewable energy near and far.”
The SCZone has signed seven agreements worth more than $14bn since March, with international companies for green hydrogen and green ammonia projects in its 460-kilometre area.
Norway’s Scatec plans to develop a $5bn green hydrogen and ammonia facility in Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea, capable of producing 1 million tonnes of green ammonia annually and potentially up to 3 million tonnes.
The green ammonia will mainly be exported to European and Asian markets, where it is in high demand.
Danish shipping giant Maersk is looking into producing 480,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually, according to the SCZone.
In April, the zone signed a $3bn deal with a consortium led by French firm EDF Renewables and Egyptian company Zero Waste to produce 350,000 tonnes of green fuel annually for ships passing through the Suez Canal.
The UAE’s AMEA Power, which is affiliated with Al Nowais Group, has a project in the works to produce 390,000 tonnes of green ammonia a year in Ain Sokhna for export purposes.
Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company Masdar and Hassan Allam Utilities also signed agreements to develop electrolyser facilities with a capacity of 4 gigawatts in the Suez Canal and on the Mediterranean to produce up to 480,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually by 2030.
Finally, last month, the zone signed an agreement with an alliance that includes France's Total Eren and Egyptian venture capital firm Enara Capital for a green ammonia plant that will produce 300,000 tonnes annually and eventually have a capacity to produce up to 1.5 million tonnes.
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
It’ll be summer in the city as car show tries to move with the times
If 2008 was the year that rocked Detroit, 2019 will be when Motor City gives its annual car extravaganza a revamp that aims to move with the times.
A major change is that this week's North American International Auto Show will be the last to be held in January, after which the event will switch to June.
The new date, organisers said, will allow exhibitors to move vehicles and activities outside the Cobo Center's halls and into other city venues, unencumbered by cold January weather, exemplified this week by snow and ice.
In a market in which trends can easily be outpaced beyond one event, the need to do so was probably exacerbated by the decision of Germany's big three carmakers – BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi – to skip the auto show this year.
The show has long allowed car enthusiasts to sit behind the wheel of the latest models at the start of the calendar year but a more fluid car market in an online world has made sales less seasonal.
Similarly, everyday technology seems to be catching up on those whose job it is to get behind microphones and try and tempt the visiting public into making a purchase.
Although sparkly announcers clasp iPads and outline the technical gadgetry hidden beneath bonnets, people's obsession with their own smartphones often appeared to offer a more tempting distraction.
“It's maddening,” said one such worker at Nissan's stand.
The absence of some pizzazz, as well as top marques, was also noted by patrons.
“It looks like there are a few less cars this year,” one annual attendee said of this year's exhibitors.
“I can't help but think it's easier to stay at home than to brave the snow and come here.”
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
Poacher
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERichie%20Mehta%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nimisha%20Sajayan%2C%20Roshan%20Mathew%2C%20Dibyendu%20Bhattacharya%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Look north
BBC business reporters, like a new raft of government officials, are being removed from the national and international hub of London and surely the quality of their work must suffer.
Company profile
Name: GiftBag.ae
Based: Dubai
Founded: 2011
Number of employees: 4
Sector: E-commerce
Funding: Self-funded to date
Company profile
Company name: Dharma
Date started: 2018
Founders: Charaf El Mansouri, Nisma Benani, Leah Howe
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: TravelTech
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investors: Convivialite Ventures, BY Partners, Shorooq Partners, L& Ventures, Flat6Labs
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 1', Kane 8' & 16') West Ham United 3 (Balbuena 82', Sanchez og 85', Lanzini 90' 4)
Man of the match Harry Kane
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THREE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Fixtures
Wednesday January 8 –Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 – Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 – UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
Results
Stage 7:
1. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal - 3:18:29
2. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - same time
3. Phil Bauhaus (GER) Bahrain Victorious
4. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep
5. Cees Bol (NED) Team DSM
General Classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 24:00:28
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:35
3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:02
4. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:42
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
ACC%20T20%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Championship
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The Comeback: Elvis And The Story Of The 68 Special
Simon Goddard
Omnibus Press
