King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), NEOM’s Education, Research, and Innovation Foundation (ERIF), and ENOWA have formed a strategic partnership to advance Saudi Arabia’s hydrogen economy. NEOM’s ERIF is backing three key projects under its Hydrogen and e-Fuels Applied Research Institute (HEFARI) in collaboration with KAUST researchers, focusing on hydrogen as a renewable energy source.
Progress on these initiatives was showcased at a recent summit at KAUST’s Research and Technology Park, where representatives from KAUST, ERIF, HEFARI, ENOWA, Saudi Aramco, and other industry leaders discussed advancements and challenges in developing the Kingdom’s green hydrogen sector.
The projects include marine fuel decarbonisation led by Professor William Roberts, cost-effective electrolyser development led by Professor Mani Sarathy, and emission reduction in green ammonia-fueled engines led by Assistant Professor Thibault Guiberti.
Donal Bradley, Executive Director of NEOM’s Education, Research & Innovation Foundation (ERIF), said, “HEFARI is a key component of the NEOM R&I ecosystem helping to advance the Kingdom’s green hydrogen economy. 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.”
KAUST Vice President of Research Pierre Magistretti, welcomed the funding and 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. This CoE was established along with three others on Smart Health, Food and Generative AI in the context of the new Strategic Plan and reorganisation of KAUST research to accelerate impact. There is growing hydrogen research expertise and projects at KAUST from hydrogen production, storage, transport, and utilisation.”
Roland Kaeppner, Managing Director of Hydrogen and Green Fuels at ENOWA commented, “Working with NEOM’s ERI 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.”
Ben Queisser, Head of Technology and Innovation, Hydrogen and Green Fuels (ENOWA) said,“The HIDC will not only support KAUST research but also the development of decarbonised synthetic fuels in collaboration with Saudi Aramco. It will also house a 20 MW electrolyser from thyssenkrupp nucera, which will contribute to the world’s largest green hydrogen and ammonia plant operated by NEOM Green Hydrogen Company (NGHC).”
Saudi Arabia aims to produce 50% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and become the world’s leading hydrogen producer, to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2060. This partnership is a crucial step toward realising these goals.
