Desert Trial Puts Direct Air Capture to the Test

Saudi Arabia launches its first direct air capture pilot, testing carbon removal in harsh desert conditions

4 Apr 2025

Saudi Aramco has launched the country’s first direct air capture (DAC) pilot plant in partnership with Siemens Energy, marking a shift in the Middle East’s carbon capture efforts beyond heavy industry.

The project expands the region’s focus on carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), which has so far centred largely on capturing carbon dioxide from power stations, refineries and gas processing plants. Direct air capture instead removes CO₂ from the atmosphere, where concentrations are far lower than in industrial exhaust streams.

The pilot unit is designed to capture up to 12 tonnes of CO₂ a year. Aramco said the facility is primarily a research platform rather than a commercial venture. Its purpose is to test performance in Saudi Arabia’s climate, including high temperatures, dust and humidity, conditions that can affect reliability, maintenance and operating costs.

DAC systems are widely viewed as technically challenging and expensive, in part because they require significant energy to extract diluted carbon from ambient air. However, they offer flexibility: units can operate independently of major emission sources and could in time support carbon markets, low-carbon fuels and corporate climate pledges.

Aramco said the plant would also serve as a testbed for advanced capture materials adapted to desert conditions. Improvements in efficiency, even incremental ones, could alter the economics of a technology whose high costs have limited deployment worldwide.

The launch comes as energy producers in the Gulf step up investment in CCUS amid investor scrutiny and emerging carbon regulations in key export markets. Large-scale projects linked to oil, gas and liquefied natural gas remain the dominant focus across the region.

Direct air capture remains at an early stage. Scaling the technology to levels that would materially affect global emissions is expected to take years and substantial capital.

Whether the Saudi pilot leads to expansion or public performance data may indicate how quickly DAC can move from demonstration to broader application in the region.