On Tuesday and Wednesday, 21st and 22nd of April 2026, the German-Arab Chamber of Industry and Commerce (AHK Egypt) organized the Egypt Green Hydrogen Forum 2026 implemented by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ Egypt). The Frum convened at Sofitel Cairo Nile El Gezirah under the theme “The Circular Hydrogen Economy in Action” within the framework of the Egyptian-German Green Hydrogen Partnership established under the Joint Declaration of Intent signed on the sidelines of COP27 in 2022 between the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) and the Egyptian Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy (MOERE). Over two consecutive days, the forum brought together senior representatives of the Egyptian government, international financial institutions, German technology providers and project developers, to deepen discussions on moving the concept of a circular hydrogen economy from theoretical framing into practical, operationally deployable models.
The first day opened with two keynote addresses under the banner “Egypt’s Hydrogen Moment,” where Dr. Miguel Haubrich Seco, Head of the Economic Department, at the German Embassy in Cairo, reaffirmed Germany’s long-term commitment to Egypt’s green hydrogen sector, stressing that Berlin continues to view hydrogen as a central pillar of a future climate-neutral economy, supported by mechanisms such as H2Global and PtX development funds.
From another side, Eng. Ahmed Mahrous, General Manager of Energy Research and Studies at Egypt’s Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy, outlined the country’s progress under its National Low-Carbon Hydrogen Strategy, noting that Egypt aims to capture between 5% and 8% of global hydrogen demand by 2040. He highlighted the legislative and structural pillars underpinning this ambition, including the Green Hydrogen Incentives Law issued in January 2024, the allocation of 42,000 square kilometers for renewable energy projects, and long-term power purchase agreements extending up to 25 years.
This was followed by the session “The Circular Skills Gap,” moderated by Dr. Mona Ayoub, Director of the Competence Center for Skills and Training at AHK Egypt, which focused on the human capital challenge underpinning hydrogen deployment. Representatives from the Technical University of Munich, The American University in Cairo, Elsewedy Technical Academy, and Siemens Energy emphasized that Egypt’s challenge is not to create isolated hydrogen specialists, but rather to transition from fragmented theoretical education toward multidisciplinary operational training that combines engineering, energy systems, public policy, and industrial systems management. Speakers stressed the importance of practical hands-on training, applied learning environments, and stronger integration between vocational and higher education with domestic value chains; an approach seen as essential for localizing industrial capabilities and reducing long-term dependence on external project implementation models.
In the session “Green Hydrogen Across the Continent,” discussions expanded to Egypt’s positioning within the broader European and Mediterranean hydrogen landscape, including platform for integration with European demand structures. The following and last session for the day, “Circularity in Conflict,” moderated by Khaled Azab, Business Development Senior Manager at TAQA Arabia, delivered one of the forum’s most candid strategic debates. Panelists including Dr. Hala Ramadan, Director of Strategic Planning at the New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA); Mostafa El Bagoury, CEO of Siemens Industrial; Ahmed Hafez, Country Director of AMEA Power; Alaa Kamal, General Manager of INP; and Roland Harings, CEO of Elsewedy Electric’s Metal Recycling Division, addressed tensions surrounding the allocation of limited renewable electricity between hydrogen production, direct grid consumption, and desalination; the vulnerability of green ammonia economics to fluctuations in grey ammonia prices linked to gas markets; and the challenge of scaling electrolyzer manufacturing to lower costs. A dominant consensus emerged that domestic demand should be prioritized before exports, even as participants differed on implementation pathways.
On the second day, the forum shifted from institutional and structural discussions toward financing and large-scale execution. Tarek Hashem, Investors Relations General Manager at the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE), stressed that Egypt had moved beyond theoretical planning within the zone, citing concrete implementation milestones including one of the region’s first green bunkering operations supplying green methanol at East Port Said, alongside renewable ammonia projects linked to Germany’s H2Global initiative.
The forum then moved into the “Financing Circular Hydrogen” fireside chat, moderated by Prof. Dr. Taysir Abulnasr, Co-founder and advisor of Northern Africa Applied Systems Analysis Centre at the Institute of National Planning at Egypt. Rafik Selim, Climate Policy Lead for the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and Farid Mohamadi, Managing Director of Power-to-X D&G GmbH, outlined the financing constraints facing green hydrogen projects and explored how circular economy principles could reduce project risk rather than simply add cost burdens. Mohamadi noted that global green hydrogen production still represents only a marginal share of total hydrogen output, with 2025 adding one million tons of new hydrogen production capacity globally, only 30% of which came from green electrolysis.
The second session of the day “Hydrogen for Egyptians First- From Export Ambition to Domestic Resilience”, focused on strengthening national resilience through green hydrogen, was moderated by Lorenzo Vingut, Head of the Green and Digital Transition Section at the European Union Delegation to Egypt. Panelists including Mohamed El Semellawy, CEO of EDF Power Solutions; Sherif Doss, Board Member and Head of Finance at Yara Agriculture; and Richard Grzemba, Market Development Director at ANDRITZ Environment & Energy, examined the interplay between export competitiveness and domestic industrial resilience. El Semellawy revealed that EDF’s Red Sea project aims to produce one million tons of green ammonia annually across three phases from a site with an exceptional 60% energy factor, with phase one scheduled for completion by 2030. Participants broadly agreed that the maturaty of European RFNBO certification systems, declining electrolyzer costs, and gradual domestic demand-building through fertilizers and steel would be indispensable pillars of Egypt’s long-term hydrogen viability.
The forum concluded with a final session led by Ali Habib of the European MED-GEM platform, focusing on technical support mechanisms available to Egyptian hydrogen developers in meeting RFNBO compliance requirements and the European Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).
Across two days of discussions, the forum made clear that Egypt’s real strategic wager is no longer simply the production of green hydrogen itself, but how effectively hydrogen can be embedded within a broader industrial and economic strategy balancing domestic demand, food security, decarbonization, and export competitiveness. Collectively, the discussions underscored Egypt’s evolving role within the Egyptian-German Green Hydrogen partnership not merely as a promising market or export platform, but as an emerging regional actor in shaping a more mature, resilient, and operational circular hydrogen economy.
