A final investment decision (FID) on the Aramco CCS Hub in Jubail is imminent, according to Linde CEO Sanjiv Lamba.
Speaking on a webcast to accompany the release of Q4 and annual results today, he said, “The joint venture structure is developing the project, the FEED has been completed and capital is being assessed as we speak – and I expect FID in the next few months.”
The first phase of the major project, involving Saudi Aramco, SLB and Linde, involves 9-11 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of CO2 being sequestered. It was announced to the market in December.
The CCS project will tap into high-purity CO2 streams from natural gas processing and other industrial sources, with around 6 MtCO2 coming from Aramco gas plants and the remainder from other industrial sources.
“There is an expectation that there will be two more phases and when it gets to the end of the third phase, this could well be the world’s largest CCS project at 53 to 54 mtpa of CO2 being captured,” he said. “We will assess those phases when they happen.”
Lamba said it would also assess developing a blue hydrogen project which would leverage the CCS infrastructure being developed.
The development dovetails with Aramco’s ambition to achieve Net Zero Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions across its wholly owned operated assets by 2050.
