With an addressable market worth up to $12tn by 2050 in the utilities industry alone, the race is on to build at-scale facilities producing green hydrogen and its derivatives.

Still in its infancy as a commercially viable fuel, hydrogen produced sustainably by using renewable energy to power the electrolysis of water can provide vast quantities of clean fuel. And for Middle East producers, it allows them to store and transport the other energy source that they have in abundance – sunlight.

It is already possible to envisage vast solar farms across the deserts of the Middle East that are used to generate clean hydrogen fuel that can be sold locally, exported through pipelines or used as feedstock for higher-value chemical products.

There has been a slew of recent green hydrogen investment deals in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Oman and Saudi Arabia. Many more will follow.

The May 2021 edition of MEED Business Review looks at the dawn of the hydrogen era. 

It is an era where risks abound from developing green hydrogen capabilities, but so do potential gains, writes MEED's energy editor Jennifer Aguinaldo.

Blue hydrogen, meanwhile, is set to level up, with energy producers – led by Saudi Aramco and Adnoc – exploring ways to turn their pilots into profitable blue hydrogen business lines.

Our hydrogen experts also discuss hydrogen supply chain scarcity and the costs involved in production. 

MEED's latest edition also features our 2021 construction contractor ranking, rating the GCC's top contractors by value of work. 

This month's 17-page Market Focus offers an in-depth look at Egypt, the only country in the Middle East and North Africa to exhibit anything like strong growth in 2020.

Must-read sections in the May 2021 edition of MEED Business Review include:

> AGENDA: The dawn of the hydrogen era

> INDUSTRY REPORT: MEED's 2021 construction contractor ranking

> EGYPT SPECIAL REPORT: Egypt celebrates as rest of world wavers

> CHINA-IRAN: Beijing raises the stakes with Iran deal

> JORDAN: Royal crisis highlights Jordan's societal fault lines

> MEED's RECOVERY INDEX: Weaker growth curbs recovery potential

> LEGAL: Can employers require staff to be vaccinated?

> ROAD TO EXPO: Let's talk about gender equality

> EXPO PAVILION: Australian expo pavilion visualises blue sky dreaming

> GULF PROJECTS INDEX: Gulf projects market value holds steady

> CONTRACT AWARDS: March marks a more muted month for awards

> BUSINESS OUTLOOK: Finance, oil and gas, construction, power and water contracts

We hope you find the May 2021 edition of MEED Business Review informative.