Saudi Ministry of Energy, KAPSARC, and Climeworks inaugurated the Kingdom’s first Direct Air Capture (DAC) demonstration unit in Riyadh, testing carbon removal under extreme heat conditions.
The project is part of a broader strategy to scale DAC and CCUS technologies to capture up to 44 million tonnes of CO₂ annually by 2035.
The initiative reflects Saudi Arabia’s commitment to net-zero targets and highlights economic opportunities in carbon removal and local supply chain development.
Saudi Arabia has taken a significant step in its climate strategy by inaugurating the country’s first Direct Air Capture (DAC) demonstration unit, located at the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) in Riyadh. The project, a collaboration between the Ministry of Energy, KAPSARC, and Climeworks, was unveiled during a special event on July 27, attended by His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, Minister of Energy.
“This launch demonstrates our commitment to scalable, pragmatic solutions in line with the Circular Carbon Economy,” said Prince Abdulaziz during the event.
The mobile DAC unit, operated by Climeworks, is now fully functional and captures carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere. Its deployment in Riyadh is designed to assess the performance of the technology under hot and arid conditions—dramatically different from Climeworks’ usual cold-climate installations in places like Iceland. The data gathered will inform future deployments of DAC across similar environments globally.
“The collaboration with KAPSARC allows us to test and validate our technology in new and challenging climates,” said Christoph Gebald of Climeworks.
The demonstration is part of a wider feasibility study initiated under a Memorandum of Understanding signed at the Saudi Green Initiative Forum in December 2024. The goal is to evaluate the Kingdom’s potential to host large-scale DAC operations by leveraging its abundant renewable resources, advanced infrastructure, and strategic location.
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“This initiative aligns with KAPSARC’s role as the Kingdom’s energy think tank and our mission to support national climate and carbon management strategies,” said Fahad Alajlan, President of KAPSARC.
Beyond technology validation, the project emphasizes the economic potential of building a DAC industry in Saudi Arabia. By localizing key materials and components, the country could unlock new industrial supply chains and drive economic diversification in line with Vision 2030.
This demonstration complements Saudi Arabia’s broader carbon management goals. The Kingdom aims to capture and utilize up to 44 million tonnes of CO₂ annually by 2035 through the establishment of large-scale Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) hubs in its Eastern and Western regions. These hubs will consolidate industrial emissions and enable both permanent storage and the conversion of CO₂ into value-added products.
With this DAC launch, Saudi Arabia reaffirms its proactive stance on emissions reduction and its pursuit of leadership in scalable, high-impact climate solutions.
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