NEOM Completes Deals Worth $8.4 Bln on World's Largest Carbon-Free Hydrogen Plant

NEOM Green Hydrogen Company (NGHC) announced that it has now completed financial deals on the world's largest green hydrogen production facility, with a total investment value of USD 8.4 billion. (SPA)
NEOM Green Hydrogen Company (NGHC) announced that it has now completed financial deals on the world's largest green hydrogen production facility, with a total investment value of USD 8.4 billion. (SPA)
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NEOM Completes Deals Worth $8.4 Bln on World's Largest Carbon-Free Hydrogen Plant

NEOM Green Hydrogen Company (NGHC) announced that it has now completed financial deals on the world's largest green hydrogen production facility, with a total investment value of USD 8.4 billion. (SPA)
NEOM Green Hydrogen Company (NGHC) announced that it has now completed financial deals on the world's largest green hydrogen production facility, with a total investment value of USD 8.4 billion. (SPA)

NEOM Green Hydrogen Company (NGHC) announced on Monday that following signing financial documents with 23 local, regional, and international banks and investment firms, it has now completed financial deals on the world's largest green hydrogen production facility, with a total investment value of USD 8.4 billion.

The plant is currently being built at Oxagon, in Saudi Arabia's NEOM region. NGHC has concluded the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) agreement with Air Products as the nominated contractor and system integrator for the entire facility.

Additionally, NGHC announced that the non-recourse financing structured for the project has been certified by S&P Global (as the second-party opinion provider) as adhering to green loan principles and is one of the largest project financings put in place under the green loan framework. Air Products has already awarded major contracts to various technology and construction partners.

NGHC also secured an exclusive 30-year off-take agreement with Air Products for all the green ammonia produced at the facility, which will unlock the economic potential of renewable energy across the entire value chain.

An equal joint venture between ACWA Power, Air Products, and NEOM, NGHC's mega-plant will integrate up to 4GW of solar and wind energy to produce up to 600 tons per day of carbon-free hydrogen by the end of 2026, in the form of green-ammonia as a cost-effective solution for the global transportation and industrial sectors.

NEOM Chief Executive Officer and NGHC Chairman Nadhmi Al-Nasr said: "This substantial financial backing from the investment community shows the unmatched potential of NGHC's green hydrogen project. With the financial close announced today, we are taking a massive leap towards opening the plant, in line with NEOM's vision to accelerate renewable solutions."

"At scale, this project is the first-of-its-kind internationally, leading the world in the hydrogen revolution. Harnessing the energy of NEOM's abundant natural resources, NGHC's project will pave the way for the large-scale adoption of green hydrogen while driving Saudi Vision 2030's sustainable development goals," he added.

Chief Executive Officer of NGHC, David R. Edmondson said: "I'm excited to announce that NGHC, together with our three partners ACWA Power, Air Products, and NEOM, has achieved another significant milestone in our project by achieving financial close on the world's largest green hydrogen plant with 23 banks and investment firms."

"This is a historic moment as we drive large-scale adoption of green hydrogen as the clean solution to the world's growing energy demands. This has enabled us to also conclude the EPC agreements with Air Products for a value of USD 6.7 billion," he stressed.

"Today, we are already well underway building the world's largest facility to produce green hydrogen at scale, with production scheduled to begin by the end of 2026," he said.

"We are grateful for the significant support and commitment of our shareholders and the investment community to achieve project financing at this scale and look forward to leading the charge on the global transition to a carbon-free future," he added.

Air Products Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Seifi Ghasemi added: "Air Products is proud to be shaping the future of energy with first-mover projects like this one, providing clean hydrogen to the world in a sustainable way."

"Air Products is the exclusive off-taker and will absorb the full production volume of the green hydrogen produced in the form of green ammonia at the NGHC facility to serve global mobility and industrial markets. Producing and exporting green ammonia supports the decarbonization of these heavy-duty transportation and industrial sectors and will save the world about 5 million tons of carbon dioxide per year."

"As the primary EPC contractor and system integrator for the facility, we are proud of the significant progress made with engineering and have awarded all major subcontracts for the project. Land preparation is also complete, construction is well underway, and the joint-venture team is in place and actively executing to bring green energy to the world by the end of 2026," he stated.

ACWA Power Chairman Mohammad Abunayyan, added: "As an energy transition leader and Saudi national champion, ACWA Power is proud to support and facilitate the successful financial close of this iconic green hydrogen project, marking our continued commitment alongside our partners to Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030."

"We have a proven track record of leveraging innovative solutions and advanced technology to deliver clean, sustainable power at the lowest cost. With the combined experience of our global utility scale renewable projects and innovative partners, we are making rapid strides towards the development of NGHC's giga-scale plant, integrating up to 4GW of renewable power from solar and wind energy to supply green hydrogen to global markets at scale," he remarked.

"This is a significant step forward in our shared purpose to accelerate the shift to clean energy and support the Kingdom's decarbonization goal," he said.

NGHC's financial agreements were concluded through a diverse mix of local, regional, and international banks and financial institutions, along-with a Euler Hermes tranche with no fewer than 23 institutions investing in the project in Oxagon.

In January, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources awarded its first industrial operating license to NGHC, paving the way for the Kingdom to become the world's leading hydrogen producer, while maintaining its position as a key player in the energy sector.



UK Finance Minister Says Govt to Cut Costs by 15 Percent

A handout picture released by the BBC, taken and received on March 23, 2025, Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves appearing on the BBC's "Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg" political television show in London. (Photo by Jeff OVERS / BBC / AFP)
A handout picture released by the BBC, taken and received on March 23, 2025, Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves appearing on the BBC's "Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg" political television show in London. (Photo by Jeff OVERS / BBC / AFP)
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UK Finance Minister Says Govt to Cut Costs by 15 Percent

A handout picture released by the BBC, taken and received on March 23, 2025, Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves appearing on the BBC's "Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg" political television show in London. (Photo by Jeff OVERS / BBC / AFP)
A handout picture released by the BBC, taken and received on March 23, 2025, Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves appearing on the BBC's "Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg" political television show in London. (Photo by Jeff OVERS / BBC / AFP)

UK finance minister Rachel Reeves said Sunday she plans to cut the costs of running government by 15 percent within four years, as she grapples with strained public finances.

Her comments came ahead of her crucial Spring Statement on Wednesday when she is expected to detail billions of pounds of spending cuts across various government departments, AFP reported.

"We are, by the end of this parliament, making a commitment that we will cut the costs of running government by 15 percent," she told the BBC.

The broadcaster reported that target would translate to annual savings of £2.2 billion ($2.8 billion) across Britain's civil service, which employs more than 500,000 people.

Reeves said it would be up to individual departments to decide how many civil servants will lose their jobs but added that personnel could be cut by 10,000.

"I would rather have people working on the front line in our schools and our hospitals, in our police, rather than in back-office jobs," she told Sky News.

Reeves also insisted that she will stick to her own fiscal rules when she delivers her financial update on Wednesday.

They are not to borrow to fund day-to-day spending and to see debt fall as a share of the gross domestic product by 2029-2030.

Since she has also committed to not increasing taxes, sticking to the rules raises the prospect of spending cuts to some departments.

The Labour government has failed to get Britain's economy firing since it swept to power last July, a task complicated by Donald Trump's return to the White House.

"The world has changed," Reeves told Sky.

"We can all see that before our eyes, and governments are not inactive in that –- we'll respond to the change and continue to meet our fiscal rules."

Official data released on Friday showed that public sector net borrowing -- the difference between spending and tax receipts -- grew last month, leaving Reeves with little wiggle room to meet her rules.

The restrictions are designed to ensure that the government's spending plans maintain credibility in financial markets.

On Tuesday, the government announced contested cuts to disability welfare payments, hoping to save more than £5 billion annually by the end of the decade.

Reeves insisted Sunday that there would still be "real-terms" increases in total public spending in every year of this parliament, which is due to end in 2029.