The Clean Hydrogen Economy and Saudi Arabia: Domestic Developments and International Opportunities

This book provides a first-of-its-kind analysis of the emerging global hydrogen economy from the vantage point of one of the world’s biggest energy providers: Saudi Arabia. In 2021, and within the context of the Circular Carbon Economy framework, Saudi Arabia announced its goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2060 and produce a substantial amount of clean hydrogen annually by 2030. The Kingdom is optimally situated geographically between the major demand markets in Europe and North Asia, from where it can leverage clean hydrogen exports as a potential tool to become a player of strategic importance and successfully diversify its economy under its Vision 2030 program. More broadly, the book charts a course for fossil fuel-exporting countries such as Saudi Arabia to carve a competitive position for themselves over the forthcoming decades using clean hydrogen as a catalyst for the energy transition.

With contributions from global energy experts, the chapters in this book provide a multifaceted analysis of the ＂who,＂ ＂what,＂ ＂where,＂ and ＂why＂ related to clean hydrogen development within and beyond Saudi Arabia. Collectively, the contributions analyze the countries and regions relevant to Saudi Arabia in terms of dedicated hydrogen policies, projects, and approaches that aim to incentivize production and demand in an increasingly carbon-constrained world. The book is a timely, unique and an indispensable resource for practitioners and students of energy, geopolitics, and climate policy working on hydrogen in academia, applied research, national government bodies, and international organizations.

Jan Frederik Braun: Head of Hydrogen Cooperation for the MENA Region at the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Integrated Energy Systems (CINES). Jan’s research focuses on clean hydrogen policies, economics, and energy transition strategies. He holds an M.A. in International Relations from Durham University and a Ph.D. in Political Science (magna cum laude) from Osnabrück University.

Rami Shabaneh: Fellow at the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC), focusing on global gas markets and hydrogen. Before joining KAPSARC, Rami worked at Cenovus Energy as a market fundamentals analyst, providing analytical support on North American energy markets. He holds a B.Sc. in Actuarial Science and an M.Sc. in Sustainable Energy Development from the University of Calgary.

Saumitra Saxena: Research Scientist at the Clean Combustion Research Center (CCRC) at King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia. Saxena holds over 20 years of experience in Academia and Industry. He holds an M. Tech. in Energy Studies from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago (2007).

Jitendra Roychoudhury: Research Fellow at King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. His ongoing research portfolio in KAPSARC covers various economic, energy, and policy developments and the impact of policies on global commodity markets. Jitendra has a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pune, India.