SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Egypt and Belgium jointly launched a global renewable hydrogen forum here on Tuesday, as the world is seeking to find environmentally friendly solutions to energy problems, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement.
"In partnership with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, I am pleased to announce today the launch of the Global Renewable Hydrogen Forum, which aims at establishing a permanent platform for dialogue between hydrogen-producing countries and hydrogen-consuming countries and the private sector, organizations and financial institutions operating in this field," the statement quoted Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi as saying.
Sisi made the remarks in a speech during a round table discussion on green hydrogen at the ongoing 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.
Egypt and Belgium have worked on the initiative over the past months in coordination with a number of partners, Sisi noted.
Green hydrogen is one of the most prominent solutions to energy problems in terms of making a shift to green economy in the coming years, Sisi said, adding "it represents a real opportunity for economic development that is compatible with efforts to confront climate change and the Paris Agreement goals."
Sisi pointed out that many countries have already begun to take serious steps in this direction, as a main source of energy, either through local production, import, or both.
Sisi also announced the launch of the first phase of an Egyptian-Norwegian green hydrogen plant with an electrolyser capacity of 100 megawatts for producing hydrogen in Egypt's Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea coast. ■