Under the guidance of the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Energy, Climeworks has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu (RCJY), strengthening a collaboration that aims to advance direct air capture (DAC) technology in Saudi Arabia.
Building on feasibility work done with the Ministry of Energy and KAPSARC, the two partners will jointly evaluate the next steps towards a DAC demonstration plant in Jubail, looking to lay the groundwork for a future commercial-scale deployment.
To support this vision, the two parties will jointly access sources of low-CO2 heat and energy, identifying suitable deployment sites, and coordinating with stakeholders to align with permitting and regulatory requirements.
The collaboration will also explore pathways for unlocking cost reductions in large-scale direct air capture facilities, leveraging the next-gen technology advancements achieved by Climeworks.
“We are proud to continue our work with RCJY as direct air capture in Saudi Arabia moves from study and testing towards project development,” said Christoph Gebald, CEO of Climeworks.
He added, “We thank the Ministry of Energy and KAPSARC for their continued collaboration and leadership, and RCJY for their partnership in Jubail. Our testing across multiple locations in the Kingdom confirms strong performance across a range of climate conditions. We see significant opportunities in Saudi Arabia and look forward to working with partners here to deploy direct air capture at commercial scale.”
For the past three months, Climeworks has been running a mobile DAC test facility at the Jubail Industrial College, where the system is slated to continue operating in the future, collecting real-time data that validates and confirms the technology’s strong performance in the city’s coastal climate.
These operations come after a testing conducted earlier in the capital, Riyadh, where the DAC technology also performed effectively in arid desert conditions. The successful results achieved in these contrasting climate environments show that DAC technology is well-positioned for large-scale deployment in the Kingdom.
Relevant: Saudi Arabia Successfully Launches First Climeworks DAC Unit At KAPSARC
The two test campaigns in Jubail and Riyadh are part of a larger feasibility study launched back in December 2024 under the Ministry of Energy and conducted with KAPSARC. This study aims to evaluate the economic potential of DAC, identifying practical pathways for its deployment in Saudi Arabia.
Professor Fadye AlFayed, Acting CEO of Jubail and Ras Al-Khair City for Mining Industries, stated, “Climeworks has proven itself as a valuable partner on the ground in Jubail, and we have worked closely together to gather real-time data through its mobile direct air capture test facility. With the signing of this MoU, we look forward to deepening our collaboration and jointly evaluating the next steps that can lead to the commercial deployment of a direct air capture plant in the Kingdom.”
Read more: Climeworks Announces New Headquarters In Alberta, Canada
