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)
TT
20

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.



European Shares Sink as Trump's Aggressive Tariffs Escalate Trade War

Representation photo: The German share price index, DAX board, is seen at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, February 15, 2018. REUTERS/Staff/Remote
Representation photo: The German share price index, DAX board, is seen at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, February 15, 2018. REUTERS/Staff/Remote
TT
20

European Shares Sink as Trump's Aggressive Tariffs Escalate Trade War

Representation photo: The German share price index, DAX board, is seen at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, February 15, 2018. REUTERS/Staff/Remote
Representation photo: The German share price index, DAX board, is seen at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, February 15, 2018. REUTERS/Staff/Remote

European shares slumped to a two-month low on Thursday, with trade-sensitive Germany hit the hardest, as a fresh round of aggressive US tariffs escalated a global trade war and stoked fears of an economic slowdown.

The pan-European STOXX 600 dropped 1.7% at 0712 GMT with German equities shedding 2.4%, the most among regional markets. Wall Street futures sank 3.1% as investors shed riskier assets in favor of safe-haven bonds and gold, reported Reuters.

US President Donald Trump's move to slap a 10% tariff on most goods imported to the United States effectively raised the rate of levies on the European Union to 20% and China to 54%, with both trading partners vowing countermeasures.

Euro zone banks, sensitive to the economic outlook, dropped 3.1% as traders ramped up bets of interest rate cuts from the European Central Bank, even as the trade war threatened to stoke inflation.

The bank-heavy indexes in Italy and Spain fell 1.7% and 1.4%, respectively.

Defensive sectors such as utilities, food and beverages sector, real estate and healthcare eked out gains.