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The Middle East stands at the forefront of a global energy transition, poised to leverage its unique strengths and innovative spirit to lead the charge towards a sustainable future. As ����ֱ�� continues to execute upon its ambitious Vision 2030 and 2060 net-zero targets, the conversation around decarbonisation often centres predominantly on the visible deployment of solar farms and wind turbines.

Complementing these efforts, for KSA’s heavy industries – key drivers of its economic diversification and future prosperity – another powerful and often less-understood solution is emerging as a critical stimulus for its energy transition: Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS). This sophisticated technology, designed to capture carbon dioxide emissions before they enter the atmosphere, is far more than just another climate tool; it is rapidly becoming an indispensable bridge between maintaining vital industrial capacity and achieving sustainable energy production at scale, particularly for the broader GCC's collective net-zero ambitions. 

Industries such as aluminum, steel, cement production, and natural gas-based power generation are absolutely vital to ����ֱ��'s economy, underpinning its industrial base and export capabilities. As these foundational sectors evolve towards net-zero, addressing their CO₂ emissions becomes a necessary next step, where CCUS offers a powerful solution. Crucially, many of these emissions are process-based, meaning they are an unavoidable byproduct of chemical reactions within the industrial process itself, and thus cannot be abated through electrification alone.

These heavy sectors require a continuous, high-volume energy supply that can only be ensured at scale by a complementary – and more and more decarbonized - energy mix, in which renewables play an ever-growing role alongside gas-fired generation.” This is precisely why CCUS offer a direct and pragmatic pathway to abate emissions from these "hard-to-abate" sectors. By integrating CCUS, these industries can ensure their continued operation and substantial contribution to the economy without compromising ambitious environmental targets.

The urgency of this imperative is starkly underscored by global figures: while current operational CCUS capacity worldwide stands at a mere 50 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa), an astounding 7.6 billion tonnes of CO₂ annually by 2050 to align with net-zero pathways — meaning global CCUS deployment must increase by more than 150 times its current scale within just 25 years. 

The technical foundations of CCUS are robust and well-established, encompassing various methods from capturing CO₂ directly at industrial sources (post-combustion, pre-combustion, and oxy-combustion for power sector retrofits) to even extracting it directly from the ambient air through Direct Air Capture (DAC). Once captured, the CO₂ is either utilised in industrial processes or permanently stored in secure geological formations.

What is critically needed now is widespread deployment, particularly in regions like the Middle East, which boast immense natural advantages. The region possesses vast storage potential in deep saline aquifers, identified as the primary target for long-term CO₂ storage, as well as in depleted oil and gas fields with Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) system.

The geographical proximity within the Gulf offers significant cross-border potential, laying a strong foundation for regional CCUS corridors. Transport options extend beyond pipelines to include shipping liquefied CO₂ for smaller volumes or cross-border transfers, and even the potential for repurposing existing natural gas pipelines, albeit with careful technical considerations. 

In many hard-to-abate sectors, such as cement and fertiliser production, CCUS is not merely an option but often the only large-scale decarbonisation solution available. Economically, CCUS can even prove more cost-effective than full electrification or fuel-switching in specific contexts, such as gas-fired power generation versus hydrogen turbines.

Capture costs can range from an efficient $15–40/tCO₂ for high-purity industrial streams to $60–120/tCO, demonstrating its economic viability in targeted applications. This strategic positioning allows ����ֱ�� to go beyond being an energy producer, transforming into a leader in the production of low-carbon goods, thereby creating new economic avenues and skilled jobs within the Kingdom. It also offers a pragmatic pathway to repurpose existing energy infrastructure and leverage existing expertise, supporting a just transition for the workforce and local communities. 

Looking ahead, the journey towards a sustainable future in ����ֱ�� and the broader GCC is one of immense potential. By fostering collaboration and embracing the transformative capabilities of CCUS, significant progress can be made. This vital technology is meant to play its full role in achieving net zero, ensuring a prosperous and sustainable future for generations to come – a vision that ENGIE deeply shares and is committed to supporting through its global expertise in advanced decarbonisation solutions.  

• The writer, Mohammed Al Hajjaj, is the CEO of Engie ����ֱ�� 

 In a landmark move set to accelerate ����ֱ��’s advanced manufacturing, application development and reverse engineering capabilities, the Saudi Electricity Company signed an agreement to join the ����ֱ��n Industrial Investment Company, known as Dussur, and global 3D printing pioneer 3D Systems, as a strategic investor in the National Additive Manufacturing and Innovation Company. The move will further strengthen the company’s position as a national leader in additive manufacturing.

Since its establishment, NAMI has been shaped by the strategic vision of its founding shareholders to lead the industrial transformation through additive manufacturing across priority sectors in the Kingdom. The company was launched to localize advanced manufacturing technologies and enable knowledge transfer, positioning it as a leading force in modern industrial capabilities.

Founded to champion the adoption of additive manufacturing across key sectors such as energy, aerospace and defense, automotive, consumer goods, and medical industries, NAMI is at the forefront of delivering cutting-edge 3D printing solutions tailored to the Kingdom’s industrial needs.

In recent years, NAMI has developed a strong capability to offer additive manufacturing solutions within the Kingdom, including the full range of advanced polymer and metal printing technologies, along with a highly skilled application engineering organization to support the rapidly growing Saudi customer base. Since its inception in 2022, NAMI has built a fully capable application center and component manufacturing facility in Riyadh, utilizing 3D Systems’ most advanced printing systems, including the DMP Factory 500 and DMP Flex 350 Dual for metal components, and the Figure 4, SLS 380 and SLA 750 for polymer products, all of which are needed to support its collaboration with the SEC and other emerging customers in the Kingdom.

These solutions are being used to deliver high-performance components such as pump impellers, fuel burners, motor fans, heat sinks, and heat exchangers while reducing SEC’s physical inventory requirements. SEC’s investment reflects its strategic ambition to optimize its supply chain by digitizing its inventory, lowering spare parts costs, and increasing supply chain agility, a move aligned with its broader digital transformation and localization goals.

The addition of SEC as a strategic shareholder will enhance NAMI’s credibility within the energy sector, while reinforcing its ongoing commitment to other industries. With strong backing from Dussur, 3D Systems, and now SEC, NAMI is well-positioned to accelerate its growth and establish itself as the national leader in additive manufacturing.

As both a strategic investor and a core customer, SEC will play a vital role in expanding 3D printing infrastructure within the energy sector and driving the broader industrial application of additive manufacturing across the Kingdom.

“This partnership solidifies NAMI as the additive manufacturing national champion in the Kingdom of ����ֱ��, further accelerating our traction in serving the fourth industrial revolution through fostering innovation and digitization in line with Vision 2030,” said Faisal Al-Tubayyeb, chairman of the board, NAMI.

With SEC on board after completion of the transaction, NAMI is set to launch several strategic initiatives. These include developing a comprehensive digital inventory for SEC’s spare parts, building a robust additive manufacturing supply chain to serve both SEC and other industries, expanding production capabilities, and accelerating spare parts digitization to drive innovation and operational efficiency.

“We are proud of joining forces with SEC, whose confidence in our strategic direction reflects the growing importance of advanced manufacturing and 3D printing in driving localization and supply chain resilience in the energy sector,” said Mohammed Swaidan, CEO of NAMI.

As part of this milestone, NAMI is positioned with strong confidence to achieve its demand targets, supported by SEC’s backing to extend its service capabilities. The collaboration enhances NAMI’s market credibility, underscoring its ability to serve as a major industrial player within the energy sector. Moreover, NAMI’s governance framework will be further strengthened through the adoption of SEC’s well-established corporate policies and procedures. This partnership will significantly accelerate the growth of the 3D printing market in ����ֱ��.

By securing consistent demand from a key national entity like SEC, the partnership de-risks investment in 3D printing infrastructure, encourages local supply chain development, and demonstrates the viability of additive manufacturing at industrial scale. This will likely attract further industrial players to explore 3D printing solutions, supporting the broader national goal of localizing advanced manufacturing and building a resilient industrial ecosystem.

Looking ahead, NAMI will begin integrating SEC’s strategic input into its growth roadmap, with a focus on scaling production capabilities and expanding its service offering across key industrial sectors with streamlined communication and fast-tracked application development.