The Saudi Arabian Oil Company (“Aramco”) today announced the signing of one agreement and nine Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with leading Korean entities, which aim to advance its downstream strategy and support development of low-carbon energy solutions, while creating new financing options for the Company.

The agreements were announced on the sidelines of a meeting between HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, and the President of the Republic of Korea, H.E. Moon Jae-in.

The signings took place at the Saudi-Korean Investment Forum in Riyadh, an event hosted by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Investment which was also attended by the President of the Republic of Korea, Aramco President & CEO Amin H. Nasser, and senior corporate executives from both countries.

Local manufacturing of industrial equipment

Aramco signed an agreement with Korea’s Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Company and the Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments Company, Dussur. This partnership aims to establish a casting and forging facility that could supply the Kingdom’s manufacturers with industrial and process equipment.

Low-carbon energy solutions

The agreements also include MoUs with Korean energy companies KEPCO, S-Oil, POSCO, Hyundai Oilbank, H2Korea and Lotte Chemical to explore potential collaboration in the supply, transportation, utilization and certification of hydrogen and ammonia. The companies also plan to study the feasibility of converting exported ammonia into hydrogen – a process known as ammonia back-cracking. This represents a first step towards a potential large-scale production facility for hydrogen and ammonia in Saudi Arabia, which would also include a Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) facility.