Why Saudi Arabia can become the supply hub of commercially competitive hydrogen

Talking to senior industry stakeholders at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) panel on ‘Fueling the Future’, Akimasa Muyama, Director, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) said, “We clearly believe in the ‘Hydrogen Society,’ a future in which hydrogen, a carbon free fuel, will be a significant part of the world's energy mix.”

“The acceleration in the evolution of Hydrogen technology along with the optimization of the hydrogen supply chain has prompted many leading governments and organizations today to prioritize hydrogen in their energy sourcing strategies. MHPS continues to collaborate with Japanese, as well as International, stakeholders to pioneer projects around the world that are going to be pivotal in demonstrating how hydrogen can competitively fulfil expectations,” Muyama added.

Muyama highlighted the advancements in modern power generation systems, and how technological breakthroughs to support a low-carbon society are critical to sustaining economic growth that is de-linked from carbon dioxide emissions.

He further explained how countries with favorable renewable energy environments, like Saudi Arabia, can evolve into supply hubs of commercially competitive hydrogen fuel or hydrogen power, hence continuing to play a central role in the world energy supply.

With solutions like hydrogen, MHPS is addressing the energy transition with a pragmatic approach that would enable utilities to achieve 100% renewable generation and avoid the issues of intermittency associated with traditional renewable resources like wind and solar. Saudi Giga projects, such as NEOM, illustrate the ambition of the Kingdom to achieve this transformation in the next decade.

“From pioneering hydrogen storage and combustion, to commissioning the world's first autonomous power plant in 2020, MHPS is making the bold investments that global economies and the planet need to create a sustainable future,” Muyama highlighted.

MHPS has proven experience and has successfully developed a large-scale hydrogen gas turbine combustor on a 30% hydrogen-70% natural gas fuel mix. Early last year, MHPS was contracted to convert a 440MW natural gas unit to 100% hydrogen fuel for commercial operation in the Netherlands. In May 2019, the company committed to developing a 1 GW mega-project in the US state of Utah to deploy its hydrogen power generation and storage technologies.