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Exclusive | Climate change: Saudi Aramco and Chinese partner soon to fire up hydrogen-conversion pilot plant, technology head says

  • Aramco and Suzhou-based Since Gas’s pilot plant aims to demonstrate the feasibility of a technology for converting ammonia to hydrogen
  • The Saudi oil producer plans to spend nearly US$500 million a year on sustainability-related research and development, says its technology and innovation head

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The Saudi Aramco logo is pictured at an oil facility in Khurais, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Reuters
Eric Ng
Oil giant Saudi Aramco is collaborating with a Chinese partner to build a pilot plant in China to convert ammonia into hydrogen as part of its research into low-carbon energy to tackle climate change, according to its technology and innovation head.
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Dhahran, Saudi Arabia-based Aramco, the world’s largest oil exporter and third most valuable company, plans to spend nearly US$500 million on sustainability related research and development a year, said Ahmad Al-Khowaiter, executive vice-president of technology and innovation.

That includes hydrogen and carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects, which are especially needed in industries such as steel, cement, aviation and shipping, which lack renewable energy alternatives that are affordable and reliable.

“There are technologies that can address [the emissions of] those hard-to-decarbonise sectors … through [processes] such as CCS which, depending on the geography, can be the lowest cost solution,” he told the Post last Thursday on the sidelines of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute’s first Asia conference. FII Institute is a think tank backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
Ahmad Al-Khowaiter, Saudi Aramco executive vice-president of technology and Innovation, is pictured at Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong on December 6, 2023. Photo: Yik Yeung-man
Ahmad Al-Khowaiter, Saudi Aramco executive vice-president of technology and Innovation, is pictured at Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong on December 6, 2023. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

Aramco is collaborating with Suzhou, Jiangsu province-based Since Gas on the plant, which aims to demonstrate the feasibility of a technology for converting ammonia to hydrogen. The facility in Jiangmen, Guangdong province will have the capacity to produce 200 kilograms of hydrogen daily, and is expected to be completed this month.

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