ENOWA, the energy, water and hydrogen subsidiary of NEOM, has established the region’s first Hydrogen and Innovation Development Center (HIDC).
Located in NEOM’s advanced manufacturing and innovation city, the new facility aims to accelerate lab to market solutions and business development across the spectrum of hydrogen, green fuel production, utilization and transport.
HIDC will be a testing ground for new technologies in the clean energy industry and a collaborative learning community for research institutions focused on hydrogen and the circular carbon economy (CCE), Saudi media reports said.
Through these collaborations, HIDC will look to produce and adopt decarbonized and clean synthetic fuels in partnership with Saudi Aramco.
Scheduled to open in 2023, HIDC will gather operational data from the facility’s first 20 MW electrolyzer from ThyssenKrupp Nucera which will be used in the world’s largest green hydrogen and ammonia plant operated by NEOM Green Hydrogen Company (NGHC).
HIDC will also advance ENOWA’s plans with Air Products Qudra for H2 mobility to test advanced hydrogen-fuel cell-based mobility and logistics solutions in NEOM.
Peter Terium, CEO of ENOWA said NEOM is fast becoming one of the global accelerators for the hydrogen economy.
“ENOWA’s ambition is to drive innovation and promote the economic implementation of future clean energy supplies. While the successful activation of ground-breaking technologies is important, fresh thinking and new energy solutions are just as essential,” he said.
“Our recent MoUs with NGHC, Saudi Aramco and Air Products Qudra demonstrate our tangible progress on this front. We look forward to attracting other global trailblazers to create a new future that will foster the next generation of hydrogen technologies,” he added.
Housed at OXAGON’s dedicated Research and Innovation District, HIDC will attract talents from around the world to live, work and innovate in a dynamic and modern ecosystem.
The facility’s unique location fosters innovation and out-of-the-box thinking that will create a blueprint for the future and act as a catalyst for global start-ups focused on green hydrogen technologies and synthetic fuels, the reports said.
Vishal Wanchoo, CEO of OXAGON and Head of Manufacturing at NEOM, said OXAGON is the ideal site for the region’s first state-of-the-art Hydrogen and Innovation Development Center to foster innovation across the spectrum of hydrogen, green fuel production, utilization and transportation, accelerating these innovations from lab to advanced manufacturing and production facilities that can then be commercialized and exported.
HIDC’s pipeline of projects will also feature a filling station and distribution technology for zero-emission cars, buses, trucks and other clean energy applications, taking advantage of the rapid commercialization of hydrogen fuel cell technology.
Together with Aramco, Air Products and ACWA Power, HIDC will validate hydrogen innovations, demonstrating the potential for upscaling across the Kingdom and around the globe.
Additionally, HIDC will collaborate closely with Aramco on synthetic fuels development. By leveraging HIDC’s capabilities in green hydrogen, Aramco will seek to fast-track development of its flagship in-house synthetic fuels program and demonstrate the commercial and technical feasibility of synthetic fuel production.