IN BRIEF

Heat Exchangers For Green Hydrogen Plant

Alfa Laval has signed an agreement to deliver compact heat exchangers to the world’s largest green hydrogen plant, to be built in the Middle East.

The facility, powered by renewable energy, will be part of the city of Neom, built from scratch in the northwestern desert, with the ambition of establishing a new model for sustainable living.

Alfa Laval is a leading supplier of heat exchangers to many of the main electrolyser manufacturers. Neom’s location and infrastructure will allow the generation of 4GW of renewable power from solar and wind where the green hydrogen production facility will use about half of it.

DON’T MISS MIDDLE EAST ENERGY AT THE DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTRE 7-9 MARCH 2023

Middle East Energy gets underway next month with the 48th edition of the exhibition and conference powerhouse opening at the Dubai World Trade Centre from 7-9 March 2023.

The conference, theme - ‘Powering The Energy Transition’ - has been launched by Middle East Energy organiser, Informa Markets, in the face of industry demand as energy leaders globally look for fresh insights into enabling sector transition, efficiency, supply resilience and sustainability.

Azzan Mohammed, Informa’s exhibition director, Energy portfolio – MEA, tells MEP: “For almost 50 years, Middle East Energy has brought together global buyers and sellers who have advanced the sector, but the 2023 event comes at a pivotal time in the industry’s evolution as worldwide energy challenges impact economic and social performance, fuelling intense governmental and consumer pressure to find solutions.”

Over the event’s three days, the Strategic Conference will examine the planning and policies which will drive MEA’s future energy outlook and look at ways of decarbonising the energy and utilities sectors, and drive industry-wide digitalisation and innovation.

The organisers have predicted that more than 20,000 energy professionals will be attending this event - projected to be the largest in the event’s history. Over 800 exhibitors from 170 countries have been confirmed for the exhibition’s five dedicated product sectors: backup generators and critical power, transmission and distribution, energy conservation and management,

The Water and Electricity Holding Company (Badeel), a wholly owned company by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), and ACWA Power, a leading Saudi developer, investor, and operator of power generation, water desalination and green hydrogen plants worldwide, have signed power purchase agreements to develop a 2,060 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in Al Shuaibah, Makkah province, Saudi Arabia.

This is the largest facility of its kind in the Middle East to date. The project is expected to complete in 2025.

Jointly owned by Badeel and ACWA Power. Each company will hold a 50% equity stake through the establishment of ‘Shuaibah Two Electrical Energy Company’, a joint company dedicated to the development of the project. The Shuaibah Two Electrical Energy Company has further announced the signing of a power purchase agreement for the project with the Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC).

Mohammad Abunayyan, ACWA Power chairman, explains: “Under the guidance of our visionary leadership and the Ministry of Energy, Saudi Arabia continues to accelerate its ambitious plans for diversifying its energy mix to include renewable energy. It is a great honour to partner with Badeel and SPPC in developing this milestone project which will set a benchmark for sustainable energy development in the region.” He concludes: “Solar power is a key component in unlocking positive economic, environmental and social outcomes for communities across our great nation.”