Dii Desert Energy, a public/private sector think tank for the energy transition in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), recently announced the appointment of Cornelius Matthes as CEO.

“With the appointment of Cornelius as my successor in Dii Desert Energy, we have ensured the best imaginable top manager for the job,” Dii Desert Energy President Paul van Son said in a statement. “Stakeholders in the region and globally can, thus, rely on continued passion and tangible achievements in the next phase of the energy transition.”

The MENA Hydrogen Alliance was launched in 2020 to accelerate the development of value chains for green molecules in the region. It brings together private and public sector actors and academia.

To date, more than 50 industrial partners, developers and investors from 25 countries are part of MENA. As CEO, Matthes and the Dii Desert Energy team will continue shaping Dii’s upgraded Desertec 3.0 program. This includes paving the way for MENA countries to become a “green powerhouse” for the benefit of their own citizens and, eventually, supplying energy markets globally with green energy, such as electrical power and hydrogen-based fuel.

Under the umbrella of Desertec 3.0, Dii Desert Energy acts as neutral advisor to elaborate business cases and to educate different stakeholders on all aspects of producing, transporting and using green hydrogen and other green molecules. This includes exporting green molecules to world markets, including Europe.