Gulf NOCs feel their ways towards decarbonisation

Saudi Arabia lags the UAE in both standalone carbon capture and its deployment of low-emission hydrogen

Design work on the first phase of Saudi Aramco’s flagship CCS project was declared complete in early June, paving the way for belated assignment of the construction work, while Emirati NOC ADNOC awarded the main contract in May on its first blue hydrogen scheme. The twin developments are testament to the multiple portfolio diversification strands being pursued by the Mideast Gulf’s two most dynamic NOCs—at home and, increasingly, overseas—but also to the inevitably patchy progress, as both the historically crude oil-focused firms test out novel technologies and adapt to uncertain future market dynamics. Aramco unveiled plans to develop a vast CCS hub at Jubail, a downstream hub in the oil-ri