In a groundbreaking move, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of France have announced a joint initiative to search for innovative solutions for hydrogen production and renewable energy promotion.
The joint communique followed a meeting between Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and French Minister for Energy Transition Agnes Pannier-Runacher in Riyadh and demonstrates both countries’ commitment to mitigating climate change.
The agreement acknowledges the importance of advancing the implementation of the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement. This includes a shared commitment to limiting global temperature increases to 1.5°C, highlighting the urgency of climate action in both countries. Both nations recognized clean hydrogen as a vital fuel for sustainable economic development and climate change mitigation.
The partnership extends to cooperation in the field of electricity, with both nations agreeing to share experiences in generating electricity from renewable resources, grid interconnection projects, and the inclusion of private sectors in power sector projects. This includes everything from generation to transmission, distribution, storage, and network automation technologies.
Saudi Arabia and France will also collaborate on enhancing energy efficiency, advancing climate technologies, and furthering cooperation in the field of nuclear energy within a peaceful and safe framework. They plan to work together on the management of radioactive waste and the development of human capabilities.
The partnership aims to advance technologies and solutions for hard-to-abate sectors such as cement, aviation, marine, and petrochemicals, particularly in relation to carbon capture utilization and storage.
Saudi Arabia aims to become a global leader in exporting hydrogen and electricity generated from low-emission resources, leveraging its competitive cost base, renewable energy resources, natural gas reserves, and carbon sinks. The Kingdom’s strategic location near major global demand centers also plays to its advantage.
France’s decarbonization strategy focuses heavily on hydrogen, looking to make a significant contribution to the decarbonization of the industry and transport sectors. Both countries have put hydrogen and electricity produced from low-emission and renewable resources at the heart of their respective energy transitions.
As part of this cooperative effort, both nations agreed on a hydrogen cooperation roadmap and electricity produced from renewable resources. The roadmap includes technology development, business cooperation, and the creation of policies and regulations to support the hydrogen industry.
Finally, a “French-Saudi Task Force” is to be established to ensure the delivery of desired outcomes from this cooperation in hydrogen and other domains. This alliance signifies the willingness of these two nations to prioritize green energy and move towards a more sustainable and resilient energy future.
