Changing the Future of Energy

Our energy sector is part of the NEOM Energy & Water Company. It leads the development of our world-class sustainable energy and water systems. Work to develop these utilities has started to provide the critical infrastructure for NEOM's key projects – such as THE LINE and Oxagon. In fact, Oxagon is actively seeking tenants for its manufacturing hub, and supply of energy and water is essential.

We are powering the creation of NEOM with 100% renewable energy that will be affordable for both residents and industries. This will be the first project in the world that enables this at scale, and we will set the stage for other sustainability projects around the world. Our company also represents NEOM as the principal shareholder in the world's largest green hydrogen production plant, in an equal joint venture with Air Products and ACWA Power. Coming onstream in 2025, the green hydrogen plant is expected to be the first of several similar plants to make a hub here for green hydrogen production and innovation. The green hydrogen will be exported and used in NEOM for a variety of solutions – including fueling clean autonomous electric vehicles. As part of its future fully-renewable grid, we have initiated the first grid infrastructure project, designing and executing substations and transmission lines spanning hundreds of kilometers. This power grid infrastructure will have the objective of transmitting the solar photovoltaic and wind energy from source to demand points. This has never been accomplished anywhere else in the world and so will be a special moment.

Taking the expertise and know-how we are using to develop NEOM will enable us to export this wisdom – along with completely sustainable products – to the rest of the world. In doing this, we will not only help NEOM to thrive and grow, but we can also help to solve global energy and water problems. Our next-generation technology platform will enable better lives through artificial intelligence. The platform will help us to rapidly replace outdated services and user experiences, and replace them with smarter services that predict our wants and needs – instead of asking us what they are.

NEOM is one of only six places on earth that has a perfect location when it comes to generating solar and wind energy. When combined with the desalinated water we produce, NEOM will be able to produce 650 tons of virgin green hydrogen per day. It will be home to the world’s largest green hydrogen plant, built in partnership with ACWA Power and Air Products. And NEOM Green Hydrogen Company is the name of the company that the partners have come together through.

Traditionally, the electric power system is structured in a chain of distinct, sequential phases – from generation and transmission through to transformation, distribution and consumption. Comparatively, the ring structure of an integrated smart grid allows the functions of each phase to be changed, as directed by transmitted information and service flows. Our home energy internet will help us to easily understand the electricity use of household appliances and properly utilize energy resources such as water, electricity, gas and heat. Meanwhile, the smart energy grids allow us to efficiently and appropriately allocate energy resources across NEOM for maximum emissions reduction and energy conservation. This means consumers can better manage their own energy consumption and costs because they have easier access to their own data. Utilities also benefit from a modernized grid thanks to improved security, reduced peak loads, increased integration of renewables and lower operational costs.

To become carbon negative, we must first minimize the power needed to construct the infrastructure for NEOM and then generate what’s left with renewable energy on site. Then, we must ensure that the living spaces we create use less energy than that of traditional ones. It also comes down to exactly knowing what emissions we create, in order to reduce them. I think the model is a good one that feeds into our narrative of the circular economy and 100% renewable affordable energy production. The world will see our way of achieving ‘beyond zero carbon’ as a blueprint of how to live a great, sustainable existence in the future – while benefiting our planet at a time when mother earth needs it the most.

At NEOM, we’re building a place comparable to Belgium. When is Belgium ever done? Never right? Even though our projects have timelines, we believe innovation and development will be a constant and therefore delivery will be a constant as well.

Our legacy will be that our future cities are designed to embrace growth – so that roads have been replaced with innovative and well-designed public spaces. Everything you need will be only five minutes away, plus we will have built it all around nature and not over it. Powering this legacy is crucial and we believe that partnering with nature is the only way forward. We are now shaping the energy transition of the future. This will be our legacy.