Saudi Arabia’s Clean Hydrogen Ambitions: Opportunities and Challenges

Saudi Arabia is a prime example of a country with an immense potential for clean hydrogen, i.e., hydrogen derived from a production process in which carbon emissions into the atmosphere are avoided, mitigated, or captured and stored.

Fully leveraging clean hydrogen to sustainably power the global economy would give the Kingdom a competitive edge in an increasingly carbon-constrained world in which net-zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are both a requirement and a condition for survival. Therefore, this commentary analyzes the opportunities and challenges facing Saudi Arabia as it aims to become a frontrunner in the nascent global clean hydrogen market.

Jan Frederik Braun

Before joining KAPSARC as a research fellow, Jan worked as a strategic energy analyst at The Hague Centre for Strategic… Before joining KAPSARC as a research fellow, Jan worked as a strategic energy analyst at The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies. Jan has also held various positions in climate and energy policy in the Dutch and German environment ministries, the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels, and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea to Germany, Bonn office. Jan has worked on topics such as energy research and development financing, renewable energy and climate change governance and the geopolitics of energy transition. Jan holds an MA in International Relations from Durham University as well as a Ph.D. in Political Science & Economics (magna cum laude) from Osnabrück University. Jan obtained his Ph.D. in the Marie Skłodowska Curie Research Fellowship Program of the European Union.

Rami Shabaneh

Research Fellow Rami Shabaneh is a fellow in the Oil and Gas program, with a focus on global gas and hydrogen markets.… Rami Shabaneh is a fellow in the Oil and Gas program, with a focus on global gas and hydrogen markets. Rami has nearly 15 years of research and industry experience analyzing energy markets and energy policy. Before joining KAPSARC, Rami worked at Cenovus Energy as a market fundamentals analyst, providing analytic support on specific issues affecting North American gas, natural gas liquids and condensate markets. His work informed the company’s hedging strategies. Before working at Cenovus Energy, Rami spent three years as a research economist at the Canadian Energy Research Institute. He holds a B.Sc. in actuarial science and an M.Sc. in sustainable energy development from the University of Calgary.

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