Saudi oil giant Aramco has announced a partnership with Siemens Energy AG to develop a small-scale direct air-capture “test unit” to manage emissions.

Testing in Saudi Arabia

The test unit will be built in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia and is expected to be completed by 2024.

How Direct Air Capture Works

Direct air-capture (DAC) technology extracts carbon dioxide that has already been emitted into the atmosphere. The captured CO2 can then be converted into solid formations or stored underground.

Challenges and Skepticism

DAC is the most expensive method of carbon capture, and some climate scientists doubt its long-term viability. The process is complex and energy-intensive, making scalability and efficiency major concerns.

Jonathan Foley, leader of the climate solutions nonprofit Project Drawdown, describes DAC as a significant engineering challenge and believes it is currently more of a science fiction concept.

Investments and Support

Despite the challenges, many companies, including tech giants like Amazon, are investing in DAC technology. Amazon recently announced funding for the largest DAC deployment, and a coalition of tech companies led by Stripe has launched a public benefit company to invest in carbon-capture startups and projects.

Appealing to High-Carbon Footprint Companies

Companies with significant carbon footprints see DAC as an attractive solution because it allows them to continue emissions while offsetting them through carbon capture.

Unproven Technology

Experts emphasize that DAC technology is still unproven at scale and highlight the challenges of capturing carbon from the atmosphere compared to preventing emissions in the first place.

Future Plans

The collaboration between Aramco and Siemens Energy is in its early stages. Once the test unit is completed, the companies will consider moving into an official pilot phase before pursuing commercial scalability.

Investments in Clean Energy

Both Aramco and Siemens Energy are involved in other clean energy technology projects, including hydrogen, wind, nuclear fusion, and geothermal energy.