Energy Minister: Saudi Arabia will Dominate Hydrogen Market

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz at the Davos session (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz at the Davos session (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT

Energy Minister: Saudi Arabia will Dominate Hydrogen Market

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz at the Davos session (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz at the Davos session (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia will dominate the hydrogen market and has the potential to become the cheapest cost producer of gas, revealed Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz.

Speaking at a session of Davos Agenda entitled: "Navigating the Energy Transition," the Minister said the world has a generous amount of energy to exploit, whether from fossil fuels or renewable sources.

The Minister stressed the importance of ensuring that the global economy remains supplied with energy no matter what happens.

Saudi Arabia is cooperating with the world to move its markets to a larger international scale and find a market for green hydrogen and 'pink hydrogen,' which is produced using nuclear power, that may be made in the Kingdom, he added.

Prince Abdulaziz also noted that the Kingdom would have a "field day" with blue hydrogen because it has the potential to become "the cheapest cost producer of gas, we are making a huge investment on shale gas in Saudi Arabia," he explained.

During his participation in the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), Prince Abdulaziz emphasized that each country should decide their own choices regarding resources of energy based on their national resources and abilities.

He reiterated the importance of the three pillars of energy security, economic growth, prosperity, and sustainability, and climate change.

The Minister noted that the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative aim to ensure that the entire region reaches its goals and reflects its commitment. The central pillar of the green initiative is the circular carbon economy.

Prince Abdulaziz said that the circular carbon economy is the central pillar of the Kingdom's green initiative, and ministers are trying to apply its 4 R's — reduce, reuse, recycle and rethink.

He also reported that SABIC and Aramco are working in the circular carbon economy to ensure that the carbon collected is put to good use.

Prince Abdulaziz also noted that carbon would be a material to be reused, not disposed of, reiterating the importance of recycling.

The Minister stated that the Kingdom's Nationally Determined Contribution announced as part of the Saudi Green initiative will reduce emissions by 278 million tons.



Bitcoin Soars Past $109,000 Ahead of Possible Early Action on Crypto by Trump

FILE PHOTO: Sparks strike representation of cryptocurrency Bitcoin in this illustration taken November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Sparks strike representation of cryptocurrency Bitcoin in this illustration taken November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
TT

Bitcoin Soars Past $109,000 Ahead of Possible Early Action on Crypto by Trump

FILE PHOTO: Sparks strike representation of cryptocurrency Bitcoin in this illustration taken November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Sparks strike representation of cryptocurrency Bitcoin in this illustration taken November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

The price of bitcoin surged to over $109,000 early Monday, just hours ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, as a pumped up cryptocurrency industry bets he'll take action soon after returning to the White House.
Once a skeptic who said a few years ago that bitcoin “seems like a scam,” Trump has embraced digital currencies with a convert’s zeal. He's launched a new cryptocurrency venture and vowed on the campaign trail to take steps early in his presidency to make the US into the “crypto capital” of the world.
His promises including creating a US crypto stockpile, enacting industry-friendly regulation and event appointing a crypto “czar” for his administration.
“You’re going to be very happy with me,” Trump told crypto-enthusiasts at a bitcoin conference last summer.
Bitcoin is the world’s most popular cryptocurrency and was created in 2009 as a kind of electronic cash uncontrolled by banks or governments. It and newer forms of cryptocurrencies have moved from the financial fringes to the mainstream in wild fits and starts.
The highly volatile nature of cryptocurrencies as well as their use by criminals, scammers and rogue nations, has attracted plenty of critics, who say the digital currencies have limited utility and often are just Ponzi schemes, The Associated Press reported.
But crypto has so far defied naysayers and survived multiple prolonged price drops in its short lifespan. Wealthy players in the crypto industry, which felt unfairly targeted by the Biden administration, spent heavily to help Trump win last November’s election. Bitcoin has surged in price since Trump's victory, topping $100,000 for the first time last month before briefly sliding down to about $90,000. On Friday, it rose about 5%. It jumped more than $9,000 early Monday, according to CoinDesk.
Two years ago, bitcoin was trading at about $20,000.
Trump’s picks for key cabinet and regulatory positions are stocked with crypto supporters, including his choice to lead the Treasury and Commerce departments and the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Key industry players held a first ever "Crypto Ball” on Friday to celebrate the first “crypto president." The event was sold out, with tickets costing several thousand dollars.