Aramco opened the Kingdom’s first CO2 Direct Air Capture (DAC) test unit, which removes twelve tons of CO2 from the atmosphere every year.

The pilot plant marks a significant step in expanding the company’s DAC capabilities, with Siemens Energy collaborating with Aramco throughout its development.

Next-generation CO2 capture materials will be tested at this plant under Saudi Arabia’s unique climate.

Aramco is also aiming for cost reductions to aid the acceleration of the deployment of DAC technologies throughout the region. Aramco’s collaboration with Siemens Energy will focus on scaling up the technology and taking the first steps towards creating large-scale DAC facilities in the future.

In December 2024, Aramco and its partners, Linde and SLB, signed a shareholders’ agreement which created a Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) hub in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. This helped launch the DAC test facilities, and phase one of the CCS hub will capture nine million tonnes of carbon dioxide from three Aramco gas plants, plus other industrial sources.

Aramco is dedicated to achieving net-zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 across its wholly-owned operated assets. They are looking for ways to capture CO2 both at the point of emissions and directly from the atmosphere by using its circular carbon economy approach, as well as the deployment of innovative technology solutions.

Ali A. Al-Meshari, Aramco Senior Vice President of Technology Oversight and Coordination, commented, “Technologies that directly capture carbon dioxide from the air will likely play an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions moving forward, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors. The test facility launched by Aramco is a key step in our efforts to scale up viable DAC systems, for deployment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and beyond. In addition to helping address emissions, the CO2 extracted through this process can in turn be used to produce more sustainable chemicals and fuels.”