Air Products, ACWA Power and NEOM have signed an agreement for a $5 billion world-scale green hydrogen-based ammonia production facility powered by renewable energy.
The plant, which will be equally owned by the three partners, will be sited in NEOM, a modern model for sustainable living located in the north west corner of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and will manufacture green ammonia for export to global markets.
The joint venture project is the first collaboration for NEOM with leading foreign and national partners in the renewable energy sector and it will be a foundation for its strategy to become a major player in the global hydrogen industry.
This is based on proven technologies which will involve the incorporation of over four gigawatts of renewable power from solar, wind and storage; production of 650 tons per day of hydrogen by electrolysis using thyssenkrupp technologies; production of nitrogen by air separation using Air Products technology; and production of 1.2 million tons per year of green ammonia using Haldor Topsoe technology.
The project is expected to be onstream in 2025.
Air Products will be the only off-taker of the green ammonia and plans to ship it around the world to be dissociated to generate green hydrogen for the transportation market.
“We are honored 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. 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.”
Seifi Ghasemi, chairman, president and CEO for Air Products.
“Stemming from our belief in Vision 2030 and HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s aspirations for NEOM to become the global pioneer in sustainable living, the Board of Directors and Management of ACWA Power are proud to take part in this groundbreaking and first-of-its-kind investment in the world. ACWA Power has a proven track record of leveraging pioneering renewable technologies to deliver carbon-free power at the lowest cost.
“With our global experience, we are confident that our collaboration with an industry-leading company like Air Products will create significant opportunities in the production of green hydrogen, and further us in our goal to help countries meet their clean energy targets and unlock significant socio-economic benefits. Based in NEOM’s Industrial Cluster, and enabled by its unique mandate, this investment will integrate and localize cutting-edge technologies that will harness solar and wind power to produce sustainable and globally accessible green energy.”
Mohammad Abunayyan, ACWA Power chairman.
“This partnership reflects our deep commitment to developing a carbon positive society which will be a beacon for sustainable living and a solution to many of the environmental challenges facing the world. This demonstrates the ability of NEOM to generate significant partnership opportunities for international and national investors. This is a pivotal moment for the development of NEOM and a key element in Saudi Vision 2030 contributing to the Kingdom’s clean energy and circular carbon economy strategy.
“As the world’s largest renewable hydrogen project, NEOM’s Board of Directors, headed by HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the company’s Executive team are delighted to announce this significant milestone for NEOM in becoming a global leader in green hydrogen production and green fuels. We are also excited that two world-class organizations, Air Products and ACWA Power, have joined us in developing this major project, the first of many developments at this scale that will put NEOM at the heart of a new future society.”
Nadhmi Al Nasr, NEOM CEO.
