Strategic Alliances of Multinational Corporations in Egypt’s Emerging Green Hydrogen Sector: A Case Study of the “Egypt Green Hydrogen” Project and Its Alignment with Egypt Vision 2030
Sayed Elkholy
ABSTRACT
The global transition to sustainable energy systems has positioned green hydrogen as a pivotal solution for decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors such as heavy industry and ammonia production. This study examines the Egypt Green Hydrogen project—a multinational strategic alliance in an emerging market—to analyze how such collaborations align strategic objectives, governance structures, and national development agendas. Using Chandler’s Strategy-Structure Paradigm and institutional theory, the research employs a qualitative case study approach, drawing on secondary data from corporate reports, policy documents, and academic literature.
The findings reveal that the consortium, comprising Scatec ASA, Fertiglobe, Orascom Construction, and Egyptian public entities (the Sovereign Fund of Egypt and EETC), leverages complementary capabilities: renewable energy expertise, ammonia production, local infrastructure development, and policy alignment. The alliance’s governance structure, characterized by defined roles, majority-minority equity participation, and hybrid public-private oversight, effectively balances commercial agility with national priorities under Egypt Vision 2030. Key outcomes include technology transfer, risk mitigation through joint financing models (e.g., DFI-backed concessional loans), and contributions to sustainable energy transition, economic diversification, and foreign direct investment (FDI) attraction.
The study underscores the critical role of public-sector anchoring in legitimizing projects and aligning them with institutional frameworks, while private partners drive innovation and scalability. Derived actionable recommendations—including structured public-private governance models, de-risking frameworks, and localized capacity-building strategies—are proposed to guide policymakers and firms in designing scalable green hydrogen alliances. By demonstrating how strategic-structural alignment fosters sustainable industrialization, the Egypt Green Hydrogen project offers a replicable model for emerging markets seeking to harness green hydrogen’s potential. This research contributes insights into the design of multinational renewable energy partnerships, highlighting the interplay between organizational strategy, governance, and policy coherence in advancing global decarbonization goals.
