RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has ambitions to be the world leader when it comes to hydrogen exports, according to the general director of the Clean Hydrogen and Circular Carbon Economy National Program at the Kingdom’s Ministry of Energy. Speaking during a panel discussion at the Middle East and North Africa Climate Week 2023 in Riyadh, Zeid Mohammed Al-Ghareeb said Saudi Arabia is charting a new course in the global energy landscape by shifting its focus from oil exports to renewables. The event brought together experts and decision-makers to delve into Saudi Arabia’s plans to supply the global economy with clean energy. This strategic shift is part of the Kingdom’s long-term vision, aimed at establishing itself as a key player in green energy production while prioritizing eco-friendly approaches to future economic development. “The Kingdom is transitioning from being the prominent exporter of oil to being the prominent exporter of energy, including hydrogen, that is why we are taking our ambition towards being the leader of clean hydrogen,” said Al-Ghareeb. Saudi Arabia is making substantial efforts to advance its clean energy agenda, with the aim of guiding the region towards sustainable practices and achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2060. To this end, the Kingdom supplied over 150,000 tons of ammonia to countries in Asia and Europe in 2022. “We are also working on very important projects that will further the clean hydrogen industry, one of them is the CCS (carbon capture and storage) which we announced last year,” said Al-Ghareeb. He emphasized that CCS would be a “spine” in the production of blue hydrogen, and added: “Equally important, we are going to work on studying the possibility of building another hub. This hub is going to produce key fuels. One major part of that hub is to produce deliverables of hydrogen.” Saudi Arabia is revamping its hydrogen infrastructure, including fuel stations, and is working on a significant pipeline project to supply hydrogen to Europe in the future. “The way we try to approach the market, I think we will need to invest in hydrogen, similar to what we see in NEOM. But, really, to enable the sector, people will also need to invest in infrastructure, locally and potentially internationally, pipelines, and also in technology,” said Mohammed Al-Balaihed, head of energy and utilities at the Public Investment Fund. Moreover, NEOM, which has received high levels of support when it comes to green hydrogen, is majorly contributing to serve this objective. David Edmondson, CEO of NEOM Green Hydrogen Co., disclosed that the company is investing $8.4 billion to establish a green hydrogen ecosystem.