A study by Deloitte points to the major role that North Africa, and Morocco and Egypt in particular, could play in exporting green hydrogen to Europe. This could redraw the map of the energy world as early as 2030.

The study was published in mid-June and comes as no real surprise to those familiar with the issues surrounding hydrogen imports. And even less so for those who attend the Hydrogen Business for Climate forum (the subject will be addressed again in October) and are familiar with Mikaa Mered‘s work. The fact is that the subject has been talked about much recently, following an indignant post on LinkedIn by Jean-Marc Jancovici and a recent article in Le Monde.

5 regions will dominate the world and North Africa will lead the race

So what does this 76-page report contain? It reveals that green hydrogen exports will generate a business worth 280 billion dollars a year by 2050, including 110 million for North Africa. This region will dominate the market, ahead of Australia, North America, the Middle East (Saudi Arabia), South America (Chile) and sub-Saharan Africa. These regions will account for 45% of resources and 90% of transactions. The overall market will be worth 1.4 trillion dollars.

Thanks to their solar and wind resources, Morocco and Egypt are well placed to become champions in green hydrogen. Hydrogen that can then be exported via the gas pipelines that already exist between Africa and Europe. Deloitte believes that, initially, it is through blue hydrogen that gas-exporting countries will be able to build up their industry.

In Europe, Spain (thanks to the sun) and the United Kingdom (thanks to the wind) could also play their cards right.

The key point remains support from public authorities. If investment is adequate, green hydrogen could become competitive from 2030 for ammonia, 2035 for gaseous hydrogen, 2045 for methanol and 2050 for sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).

Do you want to learn more about North Africa and hydrogen? Then our latest 2 articles on the subject should interest you. You can read them here and there. 

Article written by Laurent Meillaud and translated by Logan King