The world’s largest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, would soon be launching hydrogen trains. With this, it will be the first country in the Middle East to get hydrogen trains.
To this end, Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) has launched hydrogen train tests in the Kingdom, following the signing of an agreement with Alstom. For the successful implementation, the operational tests and studies necessary for preparing the train for the extremes of the Kingdom’s environment will be conducted, soon.
It may be noted that the memorandum of understanding was signed by the Ministry of Energy and SAR, on 20 January 2022. But trials are started this October, and SAR pointed out that such trains are the first to be used in the Middle East and North Africa region.
It is a part of country’s plans to adopt more sustainable transport systems, SAR officials said that the hydrogen train tests are underway to make it suitable for the Kingdom’s environment. Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Transportation and Logistics and the Chairman of the SAR board of directors, Saleh Al-Jasser stated, “The decision is part of plans to move to a more sustainable transport system that adopts the latest smart technologies.”
“The Saudi Green Initiative, which derives from the Saudi Vision 2030 and calls for boosting the use of clean energy, lowering carbon emissions, and conserving the environment, is something that SAR is dedicated to playing a leading role in achieving,” the official added.
It may be noted that there are numerous variations of it, including blue, green, and grey. Natural gas may be used to create blue, grey, and green hydrogen, while electrolysis of water can produce green hydrogen.
