Saudi’s Altaaqa and AFC agree on hydrogen fuel-based solutions
Both partners signed the agreement at the Desert X Prix held in Alula, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s Altaaqa plans to use the UK based AFC Energy’s hydrogen fuel cell technology, H2 Bulletin reports.
Both companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (announced today, 6th March) to support the transition of the region’s power generation industry and expand their portfolio of hydrogen solution across several applications.
Altaaqa, which is part of Zahid Group company in Saudi Arabia, owns and operates mobile diesel generator rental fleets, with a total capacity of 2 GW, providing temporary and off-grid power solutions to users such as oil & gas, military, data centres etc. Zahid Group wants to contribute to Saudi Vision 2030 objective of reducing its reliance on fossil fuels. The country recently announced the Saudi Green Initiative, aiming for a 60% reduction in the region’s carbon emissions.
Mr Majid Zahid, Group President Energy at Zahid Group, said, “We are confident that together we will be a significant player in our Kingdom’s aim of becoming the world’s leading hub in the production of green hydrogen and ammonia.”
AFC Energy provides scalable alkaline fuel cell systems to provide clean electricity for on and off-grid applications, which are already being deployed in electric vehicle chargers and off-grid decentralised power systems.
Adam Bond, Chief Executive Officer at AFC Energy plc, said, “This agreement provides a clear path for the future deployment of our products, directly supporting Altaaqa’s position as a market leader and providing a clear reference point for the rest of the region.”
Previously, AFC Energy signed a strategic partnership with Mace Group, a construction firm, to use hydrogen power in decarbonising the construction industry. Both companies agreed to work on deploying zero-emission hydrogen generators replacing diesel generators on construction sites. The partners aim to commission the first AFC Energy H-PowerTM systems on-site in early 2022. They will also work on fuel cell-based plant hire for temporary power provision to spearhead in the current on-site diesel gensets rental market.
