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WASTEWATER TREATMENT-
NWC successfully produces clean energy from wastewater treatment: KSA’s National Water Company (NWC) has successfully produced biogas, a form of clean energy, through wastewater treatment at its Heet and Ajyal stations, according to a press release.
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The details: 600 kWh was produced at the Ajyal plant, supplying 30% of its electricity needs, and 2.8k kWh were produced at the Heet station, covering 46% of its electricity needs. This is achieved by using anaerobic technology to digest sludge to produce biogas, where the sludge can also be reused as fertilizer. NWC is working to secure approval to continue generating biogas at more of its stations.
GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE-
Partanna sets up regional office in Abu Dhabi to decarbonize building materials: Bahamian materials science company Partanna has partnered with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (Adio) to establish a regional headquarters and manufacturing facility dedicated to decarbonized building materials in Abu Dhabi, according to a statement released on Saturday. Under this collaboration, Partanna will produce Verra-certified carbon credits and convert waste brine into carbon-negative cement. The facility will produce up to 3 mn tons of Partanna binder annually which represents 10% of the UAE cement market.
Partanna is active in the region: The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) partnered with Partanna in July to enhance the CO2 removal capabilities of Partanna’s concrete products in a 12-month R&D project. The partnership will see the pair integrate Partanna’s binder material made from natural and recycled materials with KAUST’s Direct Air Capture technology to make Partanna’s product more effective. The company also completed a test run of its carbon-negative concrete technology at Saudi Readymix’s facility in Jeddah in April and agreed with Saudi real estate developer Roshn to set up a carbon-negative concrete plant in the kingdom in January. Also in Saudi, the company signed an agreement to supply concrete pavers for Saudi real estate developer Red Sea Global’s (RSG) 1 mn sqm landscape nursery in June 2023.
About Patanna’s concrete: Partanna’s concrete product absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere over its lifecycle, and avoids emissions during production by replacing traditional carbon-intensive Portland Cement — the main cementitious component of foamed concrete — with “natural and recycled materials that are available throughout the kingdom, including brine,” the statement added.
SOLAR-
#1- Tunisia breaks ground on two solar projects: Energy companies Qair and Mazarine Energy have broken ground on two new solar projects in Kasserine Governorate, each with a 10 MW capacity, according to a statement on Friday. The projects received EUR 14.5 mn in funding from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and are expected to generate enough electricity to power 30k homes, reduce 17k tons of emissions per year, and save around TND 4 mn in costs. Production is set to begin by the summer of 2025.
#2- Jordan’s renewables household program gets another push: Cairo Amman Bank and the Jordan Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Fund (JREEEF) have signed a cooperation agreement to support the new phase of the household sector solar installation program, according to a statement published last week. The program — set for 2024/2025 — aims to install solar cells and solar heater systems with a 30% support grant. The program is designed to reduce monthly electricity bills for citizens and promote sustainable energy solutions across various governorates.
ICYMI- JREEEF signed 20 agreements to partner with charitable and cooperative associations in installing 4k solar energy systems and 5k solar heaters around the country by the end of the year in October. Jordan’s new electricity law also exempts households who install energy generators of one MW or less from the licensing requirement, effectively encouraging decentralization and in line with the country’s direction in supporting independent self-generation and transmission of electricity.
#3- Omani finance company National Finance has partnered with Sheida Industries to support Oman’s first solar panel manufacturing project, according to a statement published last week. The funding will enable Sheida Industries to procure essential raw materials for solar panel production. Italian solar machinery manufacturer Ecoprogetti launched the 50 MW production line for Shieda in August. The OMR 1.5 mn production line produces 450 W, 550 W, and 590 W panels using its TopCon technology.
ELECTRIC VEHICLES-
PIF-backed Lucid Motors has started the production of its highly-anticipated first Gravity SUV at its Arizona facility, according to a statement released last week. The Gravity SUV — whose price ranges between USD 80k and USD 95k — boasts a range of over 440 miles on a full charge and features two electric motors providing 828 horsepower. The company is banking on the new model for a boost in sales volume to help it narrow its recent losses.
ICYMI- Lucid raised USD 1.75 bn earlier in October in a follow-on public offering. The sum included PIF’s Ayar Third Investment — Lucid’s majority shareholder — purchasing an additional 374.7 mn shares in the luxury EV maker via private placement that was part of a follow-on on the company’s public offering.
GREEN HYDROGEN-
Oman + Belgium to collaborate on green hydrogen: Oman’s state-owned hydrogen company Hydrom has signed an MoU with the Belgian Hydrogen Council to collaborate on the green hydrogen supply chain, according to a statement released on Thursday. The collaboration would focus on infrastructure planning for the production, shipping, and storage of green hydrogen production, as well as knowledge sharing. The agreement could pave the way for Hydrom to widen cooperation with other European countries.
REMEMBER- Hydrom has signed agreements with two separate consortiums to develop green hydrogen projects in Dhofar in April and signed an agreement with German gas importer VNG AG back in March to explore the feasibility of establishing a green hydrogen and ammonia value chain between the two countries.
DECARBONIZATION-
#1- Solutions+ to help UAE SMEs decarbonize: Mubadala-backed Solutions+ has launched an initiative titled Project Decarb 2.0 to subsidize decarbonization assessments for SMEs in UAE, according to a statement released on Thursday. The project — starting in 2025 and lasting for two years — will provide qualifying SMEs with decarbonization consulting services, including energy audits, sustainable supply chain evaluations, and carbon emission assessments, covering up to 75% of the costs. Project Decarb — which aims at supporting UAE’s 2050 Net-zero goals — first ran in 2023 with 16 companies benefitting from cost-saving measures, but this round will target smaller enterprises than the first. SMEs can apply through the company’s website.
#2- NWC + KARRDA to plant 3 mn of saplings in KSA by 2030: Saudi’s National Water Company and the King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority (KARRDA) have signed an MoU on the sidelines of the Saudi Green Initiative Forum to increase vegetation cover within the KARRDA reserve by planting approximately 3 mn wild saplings by 2030, according to statements here and here released on Thursday. The MoU also covers improving air quality, reducing emissions, exploring the use of sewage sludge as a fertilizer, and optimizing agricultural practices and water consumption.
CARBON CAPTURE-
Aramco has partnered with the UK’s Carbon Clean (CC) and Samsung E&A to demonstrate CC’s new carbon capture technology CycloneCC, according to a press release published last week. The technology captures CO2 from natural gas turbine exhaust streams, including those with CO2 concentration as low as 4%.
The company claims that its CycloneCC tech has a 50% smaller footprint than similar traditional systems, boasting an up to 50% reduction in installment costs while maintaining high performance even at low CO2 concentrations. Samsung E&A will be responsible for engineering, procurement, and construction.
Aramco is on a roll: The company inked a shareholders’ agreement with global multinational chemicals company Linde and US-based SLB for their planned Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project in Jubail last week. Aramco wants to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 15% by 2035 — to offset 52 mn metric tons of CO2 — and reach net zero emissions by 2050. These 2035 targets include plans to store around 14 mn metric tons of CO2 per year from carbon capture and storage projects.
KAPSARC + Climeworks to test direct air capture feasibility in KSA: The King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) and Swiss carbon capture company Climeworks have signed an MoU to jointly explore the feasibility of Direct Air Capture (DAC) technologies in Saudi Arabia, according to a statement released last week. The feasibility studies will examine the availability of natural resources such as subsurface CO2 storage and assess the economic and environmental impacts of DAC tech. The pair hope the study will eventually advance to setting up a “full-scale DAC facility.” Climeworks says its DAC tech is capable of halving the cost of removing a ton of carbon from the air.
Not the only pair exploring DAC in Saudi: In July, Materials science company Partanna Global partnered with Saudi’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology to enhance the CO2 removal capabilities of Partanna’s concrete products, including by using DAC technology. Aramco had also signed an agreement with DAC startup Spiritus to explore investing in DAC in May. Aramoc had also participated in a series A funding round for US-based climate tech company CarbonCapture which ended up raising USD 80 mn.
OTHER STORIES WORTH KNOWING ABOUT THIS MORNING-
- COP16 launches REMDY platform to support policymakers: COP16 witnessed the launch of the REMDY system which uses six environmental measures to determine how to best intervene to restore land ecosystems, Spa reports. Under REMDY, a platform called NetZero was launched, and it uses REMDY’s AI, mapping, and geospatial technology to provide insight on soil health, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, water retention, and vegetation quality.
- Ma’aden + NCECKSA partner on sustainable development: Ma’aden and Saudi Arabia’s National Center For Environmental Compliance (NCECKSA) have signed an agreement to boost sustainable development in the Kingdom. (Statement)
- Saudi Arabia launches first hydrogen bus test run: Saudi Arabia has begun the official test run for its first hydrogen-powered bus with a 45-passenger capacity and 635 km range per charge. The bus will connect Dammam to Al Ahsa. (Statement)
