Aramco and Gulf Cryo have joined forces to establish a testing facility for lower-carbon hydrogen and carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) technologies at the King Salman Energy Park (SPARK) in Saudi Arabia.
The partnership will see Aramco’s newly developed technologies tested at Gulf Cryo’s recently launched Applications and Technologies Center (ATC) in SPARK. The pilot and pre-commercial scale assessments are intended to advance these technologies towards broader deployment, aligning with Aramco’s Net Zero goals for Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions from its wholly owned operated assets by 2050.
“This collaboration is important in advancing our early-stage technologies to the next phase of development, which will help create a local ecosystem for accelerating technology deployment leveraging in-kingdom talent and infrastructure,” said Ali A. Al-Meshari, Senior Vice President of Technology Oversight and Coordination (TOC) at Aramco.
Eng. Abdulsalam Al-Mazro, Vice Chairman of Gulf Cryo, added, “We are very delighted to inaugurate the works of our Applications and Technologies Center with Aramco. The project will leverage the capabilities of our Centre to deliver groundbreaking lower-carbon hydrogen and decarbonisation solutions, tailored to the unique needs of Aramco.”
According to the partners, the facility, expected to be operational by the end of 2025, will play a role in supporting Saudi Arabia’s strategy to localise innovation and enhance domestic capabilities in the energy transition.
Gulf Cryo has previously collaborated with major players in the region to reduce CO2 emissions, including projects that utilise carbon capture technologies to support industrial applications. Aramco also has invested in several initiatives aimed at lowering emissions, such as the world’s largest CCUS hub at Jubail.
This announcement comes as Middle Eastern countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, double down on their decarbonisation efforts following COP29. The region, which contributes a significant share of global CO2 emissions due to its hydrocarbon-heavy economy, is increasingly adopting advanced technologies to reduce its environmental impact.
Saudi Arabia has launched the Saudi Green Initiative, aiming to reach Net Zero emissions by 2060, while the UAE is investing heavily in renewable energy projects such as Masdar City and the Al Dhafra Solar Project, one of the largest solar power plants in the world.
