Database / Saudi Arabia / 2024

Circular Carbon Economy (CCE) National Program

Strategic Active Verified

Saudi Circular Carbon Economy doctrine (G20-endorsed 2020) runs operationally through Aramco delivery and the 2nd NDC (December 2025): current CCUS capture 1.3 Mt/yr, the Jubail hub (Aramco 60%, Linde/SLB 20/20, shareholders agreement December 2024) capturing 9 Mt/yr by 2028 from three gas plants via pipeline to saline-aquifer storage, Yanbu green-methanol/low-carbon-urea CCU, Hawiyah-Uthmaniyah 800 kt/yr operating EOR, Fertiglobe saline-aquifer pilot with DNV-certified West Aquifer storage, and NEOM hydrogen plus KAPSARC DAC pilots. The programme logic is reduce-reuse-recycle-remove inside oil economics: capture monetised through EOR, blue hydrogen/ammonia exports and (prospectively) GCOM credits, with the Green Financing Framework channeling capital. CCE is less a regulation than an operating system for keeping hydrocarbons investible under a 2060 net-zero pledge.

National Governance Context

Saudi Arabia Overview

Aggregate National Maturity Index (Peak Strength)

Governed Policies

Identified Projects

Operational Cap 0.8 Mtpa

Under Construction Cap 15.0 Mtpa

Planned Cap 5.4 Mtpa

Related Policy Network

Peer Frameworks

2023 Strategic

Saudi Arabia Hydrogen Strategy & CCS Coupling

2023 Regulatory

Saudi Circular Carbon Economy (CCE) & Jubail CCS Hub Strategy

Directly Linked Assets

Rumah1 and Rumah 2 plants

Capture — 2.718 Mtpa

Nairyah1 and Nairyah 2 plants

Capture — 2.718 Mtpa

GE Vernova FEED studies

Capture — 0 Mtpa

Aramco gas plants (3 facilities)

Capture — 6 Mtpa

Linde H2 Plant Jubail

Capture — 0 Mtpa

Uthmaniyah CO2-EOR demonstration

Full chain — 0.8 Mtpa

Jubail CCS Hub (*capture sources under evaluation)

T&S — 9 Mtpa

Policy Classification

FSRTM 5.0

Economic

Jubail 9 Mt/yr anchor with EOR revenue, blue-ammonia exports and prospective GCOM credits stacks monetisation behind shared infrastructure.

Statutory

G20-endorsed doctrine with NDC documentation but no dedicated CCS statute — direction with delivery vehicles, not codified licensing.

Market

Blue hydrogen and ammonia exports with Fertiglobe low-carbon ammonia shipments (including to Japan for power) turn stored carbon into traded products.

Strategic

The reduce-reuse-recycle-remove doctrine operationalised through Jubail/Yanbu hubs makes hydrocarbons investible under the 2060 pledge — strategy as operating system.

Technical

The 2nd NDC documents measured capture (1.3 Mt) with DNV-certified aquifer storage, putting operating tonnes inside national accounting.

Strategic Impact Analysis

Economic Impact

Hub aggregation (9 Mt/yr Jubail anchor) with EOR revenue, blue-ammonia exports and prospective GCOM credits stacks three monetisation lines behind one infrastructure build.

Technical Impact

Hawiyah operating EOR plus Jubail saline-aquifer storage plus Fertiglobe DNV-certified aquifer prove both storage modes before scale-up.

Environmental Impact

The 2nd NDC documents 1.3 Mt current capture against the 2060 pledge — measured progress, not modelled promises, as the accountability base.

Technical Metadata

Lead Institution Ministry of Energy

Release Date 2024-03-01

Policy Tags

Circular Carbon Economy Jubail hub Aramco 60/20/20 2nd NDC blue hydrogen GCOM prospect

Legal Weight Strategic Guidance

Original Document

Last Intelligence Audit 2026-09-09