H²Egypt Agrees with Chinese PERIC to Assemble Electrolyzers in Cairo

Electrolyzer for green hydrogen production. (Getty Images)
Electrolyzer for green hydrogen production. (Getty Images)
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H²Egypt Agrees with Chinese PERIC to Assemble Electrolyzers in Cairo

Electrolyzer for green hydrogen production. (Getty Images)
Electrolyzer for green hydrogen production. (Getty Images)

Dalia Samir, Co-Founder and Director of Hydrogen Egypt (H²Egypt), unveiled a partnership deal with Chinese PERIC to assemble and produce parts of the electrolyzer units in Egypt during the first quarter of 2024.

Globally, PERIC is the biggest company in terms of the production of electrolyzer units to produce hydrogen.

Samir informed Asharq Al-Awsat that, in the first phase, the partnership entails technical cooperation to assemble electrolyzer units and to significantly manufacture a portion of them within Egypt.

This partnership would contribute to passing PERIC’s expertise and advanced technology to the Egyptian market.

PERIC Hydrogen Technologies Co., Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Purification Equipment Research Institute of CSIC. It is headquartered in Handan City, Hebei Province. It is mainly engaged in the research, design, and manufacturing of hydrogen generation system, as well as the utilization and research development of hydrogen energy.

Currently, PERIC operates six commissioning and machining workshops. The annual production capacity amounts to 350 sets of alkaline-type hydrogen generators and 120 sets of PEM-type hydrogen generators.

Samir added that a high-ranking delegation from PERIC is expected to visit Cairo in September to determine the volume of the company to be established in partnership with H²Egypt and to set a specific date to start assembling and producing parts of the electrolyzer units in Egypt during the first quarter of 2024.

PERIC plans to provide training for the maintenance and operational staff, along with conducting studies aimed at obtaining a stake in the capital alongside other Egyptian shareholders.

Well-informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that PERIC signed deals to supply equipment to foreign firms that have previously signed hydrogen production projects with the Egyptian government in the past months.

The deals are at a value ranging between $200 and $300 million.

PERIC exported its products to over 30 countries and regions spanning Europe, North America, the Middle East, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Africa.

In mid-September, H²Egypt is organizing an international conference in Cairo dedicated to the hydrogen industry. The conference will see participation from both domestic and international public and private sectors.

Chinese company PERIC will be present with a high-level delegation to engage in the signing of agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs).



Employment Growth Drives Improvement in Saudi Private Sector in August

The PMI for Saudi Arabia rose from 54.4 in July to 54.8 in August. (SPA)
The PMI for Saudi Arabia rose from 54.4 in July to 54.8 in August. (SPA)
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Employment Growth Drives Improvement in Saudi Private Sector in August

The PMI for Saudi Arabia rose from 54.4 in July to 54.8 in August. (SPA)
The PMI for Saudi Arabia rose from 54.4 in July to 54.8 in August. (SPA)

The strong growth in employment—at some of the highest rates in a decade—along with increased purchasing activity and rising inventory levels, boosted the performance of Saudi Arabia’s non-oil private sector in August, according to the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) released by Riyad Bank on Tuesday.

The index revealed that non-oil companies in Saudi Arabia significantly increased their activity levels midway through the third quarter, driven by rising new business inflows. Companies reported receiving orders from both new and existing clients, benefiting from increased government investment and strong growth in foreign sales.

However, overall growth momentum remained slower than recent trends, with the non-oil private sector output increasing at one of its weakest rates since early 2022.

As a result, companies reduced their selling prices for the second consecutive month in an effort to stimulate demand. Profit margins shrank, though less sharply than in July, largely due to a slowdown in rising purchasing costs.

The PMI for Saudi Arabia rose from 54.4 in July to 54.8 in August, marking the first improvement in non-oil private sector growth since February. However, the index remained at one of its lowest levels since early 2022 and below its long-term average of 56.9 points.

Naif Al-Ghaith, Senior Economist at Riyad Bank, commented: “Saudi Arabia’s non-oil sector continues to demonstrate economic resilience, underscored by a robust 4.4% increase in non-oil GDP in Q2 2024, reflecting the ongoing success of the kingdom’s diversification efforts.”

He added: “Employment growth has been a key driver of this momentum in August, signaling those businesses are increasingly confident in their expansion plans. The uptick in new orders illustrates the sector’s capacity to meet growing market needs. These positive indicators, coupled with a significant rise in future output expectations, highlight strong business optimism within the private sector.”