His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Minister of Energy, inaugurated a pilot Direct Air Capture (DAC) unit at the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center in Riyadh. The unit—developed in partnership with a Swiss climate-tech company—is fully operational and captures CO₂ directly from the atmosphere.
The initiative aims to validate the technology under Saudi Arabia’s harsh, hot climatic conditions—unlike typical deployments in colder regions such as Iceland. It marks a significant step toward operationalizing the Circular Carbon Economy as part of the nation’s strategic climate objectives under Vision 2030.
This pilot is part of a larger feasibility study launched following a memorandum of understanding signed in late 2024, and paves the way for the establishment of major Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) hubs across the eastern and western regions of the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia has set an ambitious target to capture and utilize up to 44 million tonnes of CO₂ annually by 2035, converting industrial emissions into high-value products. The project also supports efforts to localize key components and materials, strengthening the domestic carbon removal supply chain.
