‘World’s largest’ hydrogen plant for Saudi Arabia megacity

US hydrogen producer Air Products has announced plans to build what will be the world’s biggest green hydrogen production plant in Saudi Arabia. The $5bn plant will be jointly owned with Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power and Neom, a new planned megacity near the kingdom’s borders with Jordan and Egypt.

The $5bn plant will be powered by 4 GW of wind and solar energy and will produce 650 tonnes of hydrogen (via electrolysis) per day using electrolysers provided by Germany’s Thyssenkrupp (pictured). According to Air Products, the plant will also produce some 1.2mn tonnes per year of green ammonia, which it intends to sell to the global transportation sector.

Air Products CEO Seifi Ghasemi told analysts that if 1% of the world’s 260mn-strong commercial vehicle fleet converted to hydrogen, 50 such large-scale production plants would be required. The Neom project is scheduled to be onstream in 2025.

Photo: Thyssenkrupp