Saudi Arabia is currently considering establishing a complex to produce clean fuel derivatives from carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas, within its endeavor to reach net zero emissions in 2060.
Dr. Zeid Al-Ghareeb, the Director General of the National Program for Hydrogen and the Circular Carbon Economy at the Saudi Ministry of Energy, told Asharq Al-Awsat about his country’s intention to launch the project, as it possesses many underground reservoirs that are used to transport and capture carbon dioxide.
Green Hydrogen
In remarks on the sidelines of the Middle East and North Africa Climate Week (MENACW) 2023 in Riyadh, Al-Ghareeb described NEOM as one of the largest green hydrogen projects in the world and the first of its kind, noting that the project will open new horizons for the industry, and will produce approximately 250,000 tons of green hydrogen by 2026.
He added that the NEOM green hydrogen project, which is currently developed by NEOM, Air Products, and ACWA Power, aims to adopt the latest innovative methods to provide combined energy capacity that is equivalent to about four Gigawatts of renewable energy from solar, wind and storage.
Carbon management
The Saudi official emphasized that Riyadh aspires to shift from being the first exporter of oil to become one of the leading countries that produce renewable energy, including hydrogen, with the aim to reach zero neutrality in 2060.
In this context, the program director highlighted the most important initiatives taken by Riyadh, namely the establishment of an economic corridor linking India to the Middle East and Europe, which will enable the Kingdom to export hydrogen and clean electric energy to customers in Europe at the lowest costs.
Abundant Sources
Saudi Arabia is one of the few countries that enjoy the natural resources to produce clean hydrogen, Al-Ghareeb said, stressing that the country possesses ground reservoirs to store carbon dioxide in the process of producing blue hydrogen, in addition to natural resources from solar and wind energy, which will allow production at a much lower cost than other countries and with higher reliability.
He also revealed that the capacity of one of the largest carbon dioxide transport and storage complexes announced by Riyadh in the Saudi Green Initiative will double to reach 44 million tons by 2035.
