Saudi oil giant Aramco has launched its first direct air capture (DAC) unit in collaboration with Siemens Energy, marking a step forward in its carbon reduction efforts.
The pilot facility, announced on Thursday, can remove 12 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere annually and will serve as a testing ground for CO2 capture materials.
Aramco, the world’s largest oil exporter, aims to achieve net-zero emissions for its Scope 1 and 2 activities by 2050. The company initially revealed its DAC partnership with Siemens Energy in October 2023, with plans to complete the unit in 2024.
The project is expected to lay the groundwork for a larger pilot plant capable of capturing 1,250 tons of CO2 per year.
The oil giant has been expanding its carbon capture initiatives. In December, Aramco signed an agreement with oil services firms SLB and Linde to develop a large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The first phase, scheduled for completion by the end of 2027, aims to capture and store up to 9 million tons of CO2 annually.
Additionally, Aramco has signed multiple agreements exploring carbon capture technologies and participated in an $80 million funding round for Los Angeles-based CarbonCapture last year.
Ali A. Al-Meshari, Aramco’s senior vice president of technology oversight and coordination, emphasized the significance of the DAC initiative. “The test facility is a key step in our efforts to scale up viable DAC systems for deployment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and beyond,” he said.
“In addition to helping address emissions, the CO2 extracted through this process can be used to produce more sustainable chemicals and fuels.”
Despite the progress, critics argue that DAC technology remains expensive and unproven at scale. However, Aramco’s growing investments suggest a long-term commitment to exploring carbon capture solutions as part of its broader sustainability strategy.
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