Circular Carbon Economy (CCE) Initiative
The Circular Carbon Economy (CCE) Initiative is a modern concept in contemporary economic thought, introduced by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during its presidency of the G20 Summit in Riyadh, November 2020. The G20 adopted the concept as a comprehensive and integrated framework for addressing the challenges arising from greenhouse gas emissions and managing them through all available technologies. It is a fundamental pillar to help rebalance the global carbon cycle.
CCE National Program
To further develop the concept and strengthen Saudi Arabia’s contribution to its implementation, King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST) is working on reframing the ongoing dialogue on carbon and integrating carbon materials and energy flow into the circular economy to eliminate waste and ensure the continuous use of resources by placing hydrocarbons extracted from beneath Saudi Arabia’s ground into a circular ecoomy where they are reused repeatedly.
Given that emissions and greenhouse gases fuelling global warming have become a global concern, Saudi Arabia has advanced efforts to limit these emissions by developing the CCE concept, which G20 endorsed as a holistic integrated framework for addressing emissions-related challenges and managing them through different technologies.
As one of the world’s leading energy producers, Saudi Arabia has undertaken major efforts to reduce emissions and safeguard the planet. CCE provides a sustainable economic pathway for managing emissions through four strategies (4Rs): Reduce, reuse, recycle, and remove. These 4Rs are aligned with Saudi Vision 2030, through the vision programs designed to achieve social transformation and sustainable economic growth.
Saudi Arabia has advanced its technologies and methods of work to push forward this concept by launching the CCE National Program, which serves as a comprehensive roadmap setting the main foundations and principles for adopting and localizing advanced carbon management technologies. The program is the result of joint efforts with relevant entities and aims to achieve social and economic growth in sustainable ways, strengthen integrated solutions to address the phenomenon of climate change, and secure global leadership in the field of CCE.
At the Saudi Green Initiative Forum held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Saudi Arabia announced the launch of the first phase of a large regional center for capturing, transporting, and storing carbon dioxide (CO₂) in Al-Jubail City, with a capacity of nine million t annually by 2027, and a maximum capacity of forty-four million t annually by 2035.
Additionally, Saudi Arabia launched three pilot projects for carbon capture and utilization across multiple sectors, including electricity, cement, and mining. These projects are led by KAUST, NEOM City, Saudi Electricity Company, Al-Safwa Cement Company (ASCC), Ma’aden, and Gulf Cryo, with the aim of enhancing the adoption of the CCE framework and reducing emissions in energy-intensive industries.
Carbon capture plants in Saudi Arabia
The CCE Initiative achieves several gains at the level of environmental security and the planet's safety. It helps restore balance to the carbon cycle, like what happens naturally. It also offers a new approach to addressing the challenges of sustainable development by implicitly assessing all options and encouraging all efforts aimed at reducing carbon accumulation in the atmosphere, while simultaneously facilitating global economic growth.
As part of efficient carbon management and emissions reduction, and with its expertise and technologies in this field, Saudi Arabia owns a large plant for carbon capture, storage, and utilization, which converts half a million t of CO₂ annually into useful products such as fertilizers and methanol. Saudi Arabia also operates advanced facilities for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) using CO₂, where eight hundred thousand t of CO₂ are separated and stored annually.
Global application of CCE
G20 Energy Ministers, during their second meeting in 2020, endorsed the CCE approach as a means for managing emissions and enhancing energy access. The approach was recognized as comprehensive, integrated, holistic, and realistic in managing emissions, with the aim of providing new pathways for economic growth. CCE can be applied in ways aligned with the priorities and circumstances of each country. By including a range of available options, CCE takes into account different national conditions.
Following its endorsement, CCE technologies and research accelerated. G20 introduced the CCE Platform, which consists of the CCE approach, guide, and accelerator. CCE provides a package of opportunities and recommendations for G20 members, each tailored to their national circumstances. The CCE approach will assist in tackling critical global issues, particularly in ensuring energy access for all.
Saudi Arabia's role in reducing carbon emissions
In line with its global leadership in energy security and supply, and emissions reduction, Saudi Arabia’s G20 presidency promoted the CCE Framework. This framework provides a comprehensive and integrated approach to managing emissions, with the goals of mitigating the impacts of climate challenges, making energy systems cleaner and more sustainable, and enhancing energy markets' security, stability, and accessibility.
CCE Initiative provides countries around the world with flexibility to reduce emissions by adopting and promoting technologies that suit their chosen energy transition pathways through CCE 4Rs. These 4Rs constitute a comprehensive, integrated, and pragmatic approach that enables the use of all emission-management options across all industries.
Development of KAUST's role in carbon management
KAUST is leading scientific efforts in carbon management technologies and emissions reduction. Equipped with the required resources, KAUST is positioned to activate the CCE Initiative, whose ultimate goal is to harness the university’s research strengths and innovations to develop and deploy new technological solutions that support the CCE agenda.
KAUST also aims to enhance cooperation with academic and manufacturing circles and governmental entities to develop and spread new scientific and engineering solutions through five sustainability objective fields. Energy-saving technologies, alongside artificial intelligence, enhance urban planning and operations.
KAUST’s projects in this field include: next-generation solar cells, hydrogen production, smart methods for decentralized wastewater treatment, air conditioning systems, and energy-efficient lighting in homes and smart neighborhoods. In addition, sustainable and smart agriculture at KAUST makes use of recycled organic waste, solar-powered greenhouses, and saline water to achieve optimal plant growth, food security, and energy supply.
Aramco's initiatives to develop carbon management systems
Saudi Arabia has dedicated extensive scientific and research efforts in the energy sector to developing tools and systems for carbon management. These efforts involve many of its research institutions and energy companies, foremost among them Saudi Aramco, which provides effective energy solutions as one of the world’s leading energy companies amid growing global demand for energy. Aramco regards CCE as the best framework to achieve significant global impact in reducing emissions worldwide while simultaneously ensuring continued economic growth.
Saudi Aramco is pursuing several initiatives in this field, employing Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data to reduce emissions. These are applied through monitoring the company’s energy consumption, enhancing operations, improving seismic monitoring and analysis, refining crude oil recovery methods, and boosting oil well productivity. As a result, Aramco’s upstream carbon intensity ranks among the lowest in the energy industry.
SABIC's CCE Efforts
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) contributes special added value to Saudi Arabia’s efforts in leading world countries to reduce carbon emissions and to advance the Saudi CCE vision. SABIC is among the first global chemical companies to implement the CCE concept, investing in the establishment of a major world-scale plant to reuse carbon in the manufacture of high-value products.
The plant began operating at an early stage of the development of the CCE concept. Since its inauguration in 2015, it has used a proprietary technology to capture and purify up to five hundred thousand mt of CO₂ annually, generated from ethylene glycol production. The purified CO₂ is then transported via a pipeline network to produce highly beneficial products and meet the needs of sectors such as agriculture, chemicals, food and beverages, medical industries, and others.
SABIC continues to advance CCE applications as part of its sustainability strategy, which is grounded in the company’s core values and ambitions. This strategy paves the way for achieving desired economic growth objectives while considering environmental and social requirements. The company is committed to a comprehensive approach to sustainability through enhancing resource efficiency, circular economy, food security, innovation, and environmental protection. SABIC manages CCE challenges with effective solutions that strengthen its trajectory toward a sustainable future. It is also a founding member of the Circular Carbon Economy National Program, launched by the Saudi government to consolidate and accelerate efforts toward achieving sustainability comprehensively.