Saudi Green Economy: KAUST, NEOM Partner to Boost Hydrogen Technologies
Saudi Arabia is harnessing renewable energy sources to support its transformation plans towards green economy. Hydrogen and sustainable fuels are vital in achieving green transformation.
In the light of this, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) has announced a strategic partnership with NEOM to advance the Kingdom’s green economy by developing hydrogen and sustainable fuels production technologies through three innovative applied research projects.
Strategic Partnership
The partnership between KAUST and NEOM will be facilitated through NEOM’s Education, Research, and Innovation Foundation (ERIF) and ENOWA, a subsidiary company that leads the development of NEOM’s world-class, sustainable energy and water systems.
As part of this collaboration, ERIF has sponsored three strategic projects under its Hydrogen and e-Fuels Applied Research Institute (HEFARI) with KAUST researchers to boost the development of hydrogen as a renewable energy vector, KAUST said in a press release.
Challenges and Opportunities
The promising outcomes of these projects were presented during a two-day summit held at KAUST’s Research and Technology Park, with the attendance of senior representatives from KAUST, ERIF, HEFARI, ENOWA, Imperial, Saudi Aramco, HyET, Cruise Saudi, Nxt7, and Dow.
They discussed the progress achieved in the ongoing projects, as well as the challenges and opportunities for advancing green hydrogen economy in Saudi Arabia.
Discussions involved sharing perspectives and insights on the cost-effective production of green hydrogen and ammonia and their utilization as sustainable fuels for aviation and marine propulsion. Key topics also included the development of technologies such as Electrolyzer, manufacturing requirements, and transportation and storage requirements.
Prestigious Team
A team of esteemed KAUST faculty members have led the three projects sponsored by HEFARI. Professor of Mechanical Engineering, William Roberts, works on developing carbon-neutral fuels for marine engines to meet the new regulations of maritime transport decarbonization.
Professor of Chemical Engineering, Mani Sarathy, focuses on lowering the cost of large-scale electrolyzer technologies for cleaner hydrogen production. Meanwhile, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Thibault Guiberti, works on reducing the undesirable emissions from engines and turbines that use green ammonia as a fuel.
Powerful Alliance
Commenting on the significance of the partnership, the Executive Director of ERIF, Donal Bradley, said: “The alliance of ENOWA and ERIF with KAUST will help to make Saudi Arabia a formidable force in developing new technologies and processes for efficient hydrogen generation, storage and conversion into sustainable fuels.”
Similarly, KAUST Vice President of Research, Pierre Magistretti, praised the partnership, highlighting KAUST’s leadership in hydrogen research. He said: “This partnership with ENOWA and NEOM’s Research Institute is well positioned within the context of the new Center of Excellence (CoE) on Renewables and Energy Storage which will also have hydrogen related research activities.”
“There is growing hydrogen research expertise and projects at KAUST from hydrogen production, storage, transport, and utilization.”
Additionally, the Managing Director of Hydrogen and Green Fuels at ENOWA, Roland Kaeppner, commented by saying: “Working with NEOM’s ERIF and KAUST is a natural progression for ENOWA. We already have the world’s largest green hydrogen production facility and offering our Hydrogen Innovation Development Center (HIDC) to KAUST and NEOM’s HEFARI means the Kingdom can continue to lead in hydrogen research.”
On his part, the Head of Technology and Innovation, Hydrogen and Green Fuels at ENOWA, Ben Queisser, said that the HIDC will support KAUST research, in addition to the development of decarbonized synthetic fuels in collaboration with Saudi Aramco. “It will also house a 20 MW electrolyzer from thyssenkrupp nucera, which will contribute to the world’s largest green hydrogen and ammonia plant operated by NEOM Green Hydrogen Company (NGHC),” he added.
Saudi Green Ambitions
As part of the Saudi Green Initiative, Saudi Arabia has committed to generating 50% of its power from renewable sources by 2030, aiming to achieve net zero by 2060. To this end, the Kingdom has launched several initiatives to support its green transformation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including the Middle East Green Initiative.
Moreover, Saudi Arabia has made substantial investments to develop diverse renewable energy sources in order to meet its climate targets and ensure a sustainable future. These include projects in solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, and bioenergy.
In addition, NEOM has embarked on a $8.4bn mega project to host the world’s largest green hydrogen production plant in OXAGON City. The project aims to produce up to 650 tons of carbon-free hydrogen daily and will be operational by the end of 2026.
