09
Aug
2021

‘Saudi Arabia does not see the end of oil’: Dr Ellen Wald, Transversal Consulting

Only Subscribers can read the full Article

In September 2020, Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s state-controlled oil company, shipped what was claimed to be the “world’s first” cargo of blue ammonia from Saudi Arabia to Japan. The shipment drew a lot of press coverage, with some questioning the economics of the process that produced the cargo. Then in March 2021 Aramco announced that it planned to jump straight from oil to hydrogen exports, “skipping out” on LNG, with a view to capitalising on the growth of the hydrogen economy.

According to Dr Ellen Wald, nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council, president of energy consultancy Transversal and author of the 2018 book Saudi Inc. that covered the history and policy of Aramco and Saudi Arabia, the country’s decision to skip LNG exports makes sense, driven as it is by the kingdom’s recent oil-to-gas switching in power generation. But Wald doubts whether hydrogen and ammonia will ever become a “big business” for Aramco – a company that does not “see a future where oil isn’t a valuable commodity,” she tells LNG Business Review in this exclusive interview.

Subscription Benefits

Our three titles – LNG Business Review, Gas Matters and Gas Matters Today – tackle the biggest questions on global developments and major industry trends through a mixture of news, profiles and analysis.

LNG Business Review

LNG Business Review seeks to discover new truths about today’s LNG industry. It strives to widen market players’ scope of reference by actively engaging with events, offering new perspectives while challenging existing ones, and never shying away from being a platform for debate.

Gas Matters

Gas Matters digs deep into the stories of today, keeping the challenges of tomorrow in its sights. Weekly features and interviews, informed by unrivalled in-house expertise, offer a fresh perspective on events as well as thoughtful, intelligent analysis that dares to challenge the status quo.

Gas Matters Today

Gas Matters Today cuts through the bluster of online news and views to offer trustworthy, informed perspectives on major events shaping the gas and LNG industries. This daily news service provides unparalleled insight by drawing on the collective knowledge of in-house reporters, specialist contributors and extensive archive to go beyond the headlines, making it essential reading for gas industry professionals.

Did you know that your Internet Explorer Browser is out of date?

Your MS Internet Explorer browser is out of date, and will not be fully compatible with our website. For best browsing experience we recommend that you upgrade your IE browser to a more recent version or use an alternative, more recent browser.