(406d) Design and Techno-Economics of Hydrogen Transportation in Saudi Arabia

As global energy demand increases and climate change concerns worsen, hydrogen emerges as a viable alternative energy carrier due to its versatility and potential for zero-emission applications. The geographic location of Saudi Arabia makes it an ideal candidate to unlock the potential of hydrogen energy. Nevertheless, the development of cost-effective storage solutions capable of accommodating large quantities of hydrogen is a serious challenge. Safety and efficiency factors add to the complexity of hydrogen production and utilization. This research investigates the issues of long-distance pipeline transportation of hydrogen throughout Saudi Arabia, which serves a variety of commercial and industrial purposes. It evaluates the techno-economic feasibility of various hydrogen transportation scenarios by tracing routes from production locations to consumer terminals. Three principal hydrogen production facilities are under consideration: green hydrogen production in Neom via water electrolysis, blue hydrogen generation in Jubail via natural gas-based steam methane reforming, and blue hydrogen production in Jazan via heavy oil gasification. The study examines the transportation of high-purity hydrogen from the production site in a compressed state (at 210 bar) across a distance of 500 km from its initial location. The results indicate that manufacturing blue hydrogen by steam methane reforming in Jubail has the lowest production cost, whereas green hydrogen production in Neom has the lowest carbon emissions. Blue hydrogen generation in Jazan, on the other hand, produces the most CO2, although it is less expensive than green hydrogen production. The cost of hydrogen transportation varies according to parameters such as hydrogen source, transit distance, ambient conditions, geography, as well as pressure and the phase at the delivery site. This study gives vital insights into the technological, economical, and environmental elements that are critical for Saudi Arabia's energy industry. Such insightful findings are crucial to achieving the goals for the 2030 country's Vision for a hydrogen-based economy.