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)
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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.



Pakistan's Largest Airport Becomes Operational, Part of the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative

Passengers wait for their boarding in the state-run Pakistan International Airlines flight to Paris after the airline resumed direct flights to Europe after the EU lifted a four-year ban, at the Islamabad International Airport, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo)
Passengers wait for their boarding in the state-run Pakistan International Airlines flight to Paris after the airline resumed direct flights to Europe after the EU lifted a four-year ban, at the Islamabad International Airport, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo)
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Pakistan's Largest Airport Becomes Operational, Part of the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative

Passengers wait for their boarding in the state-run Pakistan International Airlines flight to Paris after the airline resumed direct flights to Europe after the EU lifted a four-year ban, at the Islamabad International Airport, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo)
Passengers wait for their boarding in the state-run Pakistan International Airlines flight to Paris after the airline resumed direct flights to Europe after the EU lifted a four-year ban, at the Islamabad International Airport, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo)

Pakistan’s largest airport, funded and built in the country's restive southwest by Beijin g, has become operational, officials said Monday.
Gwadar airport is in the province of Balochistan, which has for decades been the scene of an insurgency by separatists demanding autonomy or outright independence.
Pakistani Defense Minister, Khawaja Mohammad Asif, and Chinese officials were among those attending a ceremony at Gwadar airport and watched the arrival of the Pakistan International Airlines inaugural flight from the southern city of Karachi.
The ceremony came months after Chinese Premier Li Qiang and his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif virtually inaugurated the airport, which has a capacity of handling 400,000 travelers annually.
Beijing has invested heavily in the coastal city of Gwadar. Besides the airport, which has an estimated cost of $230 million, China has also constructed a deep seaport in Pakistan as part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative to increase trade by building infrastructure around the world.
Work started on Gawdar airport in 2019. It was supposed to be operational last year but was delayed after a surge in attacks by militants and separatists on Chinese nationals working on projects in the province.
In televised remarks, Asif thanked China for building the airport and said the airport would play a key role in improving the country's economy, attracting international investment and bringing prosperity to Balochistan.
Ethnic Baloch, who accuse the Chinese and others of economic exploitation, oppose the project and other Chinese initiatives in the province.
The Ministry of Planning and Development stated that the airport can handle a combination of ATR 72, Airbus, (A-300), Boeing (B-737), and Boeing (B-747) for domestic and international routes.
Gwadar airport is the country’s largest in terms of area, spread over 4,300 acres of land, according to Pakistan’s civil aviation.