World’s largest green hydrogen project will supply 650 tonnes of carbon-free hydrogen per day
17 July 2020
A $5 billion world-scale green hydrogen-based ammonia production facility powered by renewable energy has been announced and will be built in NEOM, Saudi Arabia’s planned smart city in the northwest of the Kingdom. The hydrogen facility will be co-owned by three partners – Air Products, ACWA Power, and NEOM.
The location of NEOM Image: NEOM
The joint venture project is the first partnership for NEOM with international and national partners in the renewable energy field and is expected to be a cornerstone for its strategy to become a major player in the global hydrogen market.
The facility will include the innovative integration of over four gigawatts of renewable power from solar, wind and storage. Around 650 tonnes of hydrogen will be produced per day by electrolysis using thyssenkrupp technology and nitrogen will be produced by air separation using Air Products technology. Furthermore, 1.2 million tonnes of green ammonia using Haldor Topsoe technology will be produced per year. The project is scheduled to be onstream in 2025.
Air Products will be the exclusive off-taker of the green ammonia and intends to transport it around the world to be dissociated to produce green hydrogen for the transportation market.
“We are honoured and proud to partner with ACWA Power and NEOM and use proven technologies to make the world’s dream of 100 percent green energy a reality,” said Sefi Ghasemi, Chairman, President and CEO for Air Products. “Harnessing the unique profile of NEOM’s sun and wind to convert water to hydrogen, this project will yield a totally clean source of energy on a massive scale and will save the world over three million tons of CO2 emissions annually and eliminate smog-forming emissions and other pollutants from the equivalent of over 700,000 cars.”
NEOM is a region in northwest Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea being built from the ground up as a living laboratory. It will be a home and workplace to more than a million residents from around the world and will be powered entirely by renewables. It will include towns and cities, ports and enterprise zones, research centres, sports and entertainment venues, and tourist destinations. The project intends to act as a worldwide hub for business.