Ministry of Energy signs several MoUs on use of hydrogen fuel for vehicles and buses

MoU singing ceremony

The Ministry of Energy signed eight memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with a number of entities for implementing pilot projects for hydrogen fuel cell-based vehicles, buses, trains, and transportation applications and sustainable jet fuel production in selected areas and roads in various cities in the Kingdom.

In a ministry statement, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, Minister of Energy, said this step is taken simultaneously with drafting the hydrogen strategy, which arises from the integrated energy strategy that lays out the objectives, roadmap and implementation timeline. This synergy is a real booster to the endeavors to achieve the Saudi Vision 2030 objective of diversifying the Kingdom’s energy sources, and becoming a global leader in all areas of energy, as it has been in the oil industry for over 80 years.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman signed four MoUs for a project on hydrogen fuel cell-based vehicles and buses with Princess Nora Bint Abdulrahman University; a project on hydrogen fuel cell-based trains with the Saudi Railways Company (SAR); a sustainable jet fuel production project with the Saudi Technology Development and Investment Company (TAQNIA); and a project on hydrogen fuel cell-based vehicles and buses with the Royal Commission for Jubail & Yanbu.

In addition, Ahmed Musa Alzahrani, Assistant Minister for Development and Excellence, signed three MoUs for a project on hydrogen fuel cell-based transportation applications with NEOM; a project on hydrogen fuel cell-based buses with the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites; and a project on hydrogen fuel cell-based buses with the The Red Sea Development Co.

Lastly, Mohammed Abdulrahman Al-Ibrahim, Assistant Minister for Oil and Gas, signed with Saudi Ground Services Co. (SGS), an MoU for a project on hydrogen fuel cell-based transportation applications.

Hydrogen-fueled transportation projects and applications that are based on the technology of hydrogen fuel cells are to be carried out according to the signed MoU’s. These include vehicles, buses, trains, as well as maritime transportation. The projects will take place in several different locations throughout the Kingdom, such as NEOM, the Red Sea, Princess Nora Bint Abdulrahman University, Makkah, Royal Commission for Jubail & Yanbu, and airport runways.

Hydrogen production and fueling stations are also to be built in some of these areas to supply these projects with hydrogen fuel. These projects will be implemented in collaboration between the Ministry of Energy, sponsors and many global companies that provide the technologies for these applications in order to establish a complete conceptual understanding of hydrogen fuel-based transportation applications.

The MoUs cover applications of hydrogen in the transportation sector, performance tests of hydrogen fuel cell-based vehicles and buses, efforts to acquire commercial and technical expertise, analysis of the lessons learned from experiments in using hydrogen as a fuel in transportation means, to expand the implementation scope in the future, and raising public awareness of hydrogen applications in the Kingdom.

They also include executing water electrolysis-based hydrogen fueling stations, importing hydrogen fuel cell-based vehicles and buses, as well as providing full related operation services during the project’s implementation period.