The Saudi Move into Hydrogen: A Paradigm Shift

Initiative -
Type Instant Insight
Date 6 January 2021

Abstract

Saudi Arabia is moving ahead with its diversification plan, Saudi Vision 2030, by adopting hydrogen. The Kingdom is keen to enable the circular carbon economy (CCE) by producing and utilizing clean hydrogen. On September 27, Saudi Aramco announced its first shipment of hydrogen from Saudi Arabia to Japan. The 40 tonnes of high-grade blue ammonia shipment, which is meant for use in zero-carbon power generation, marks the first of its kind worldwide (Ratcliffe 2020).

Authors

Hatem Al Atawi

Hatem is senior research analyst at KAPSARC. He holds a master’s degree in power system economics, with a focus on… Hatem is senior research analyst at KAPSARC. He holds a master’s degree in power system economics, with a focus on electricity markets, from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Idaho. Before joining KAPSARC, Hatem worked within various industries. He interned at ABB Västerås in Sweden, where he worked on electric vehicle asset management under the Swedish transport administration's electric road systems project. Hatem also worked at Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories in Washington state, where he modeled speed governors and prime movers for hydro and gas turbines.

Abdulelah Darandary

Research Lead Abdulelah is an economist and senior research associate at KAPSARC. He leads the application of behavioral economics to energy policymaking…

Abdulelah is an economist and senior research associate at KAPSARC. He leads the application of behavioral economics to energy policymaking in Saudi Arabia. Abdulelah primarily works with econometric modeling. His research focuses on macroeconomics and energy, counterfactual analysis, international trade and investment flows, financial development, and public policy. His work has been published in several peer-reviewed journals.

During the Saudi G20 presidency, he was the Think20 (T20) Task Force Coordinator, and a member and co-author of the Trade, Investment, and Growth Taskforce. Before joining KAPSARC, Abdulelah was an economic consultant for a major consultancy firm, where he provided policy analyses, modeling, and forecasting for the impacts of public spending on social and economic indicators.

Abdulelah holds a master’s degree in applied economics and a Bachelor of Economics from the University of North Dakota.

Expertise