Saudi Aramco signed today, a five-year framework cooperation agreement with China National Building Materials Group (CNBM), aimed at exploring new opportunities in the field of advanced materials and industrial development.
The two parties identified a number of areas expected to be covered by the cooperation, including the potential establishment of manufacturing facilities in the Kingdom to produce wind turbine blades, hydrogen storage tanks, low-carbon building materials, and energy storage solutions.
The framework agreement also focuses on other areas, with plans to establish a new center for training, inspection, and materials certification, as well as a proposal to create a joint technology development center and a laboratory to foster innovation.
Wael Al-Jaafari, Executive Vice President of Technical Services at Saudi Aramco , said: “We look forward to expanding our efforts with CNBM to achieve new breakthroughs in materials science that can deliver tangible benefits to the construction sector and other industries, including the development of solutions that reduce emissions from construction activities, and developing innovations that enhance product performance.
He noted that combining Saudi Aramco’s expertise in non-metallic materials with CNBM’s industry expertise aims to help accelerate the materials transition, identify pioneering business opportunities, and strengthen capabilities to localize more industries in the Kingdom.
For his part, Zhou Yuxian, Chairman of the Board of Directors of China National Building Materials Group (CNBM), explained that this strategic collaboration with Saudi Aramco is of great importance, as this agreement combines the strengths of both parties to create a mutually beneficial partnership. We aspire to advance the low-carbon transition through the non-metallic materials industry and leverage our work in integrated low-carbon solutions.
He said: “We seek to complement Saudi Aramco’s efforts in advancing materials transformation,” noting that this agreement includes numerous anticipated opportunities for cooperation that will contribute positively to carbon reduction in development projects, and further strengthen strategic cooperation between China and the Kingdom. He noted that this framework agreement builds on the strong relationship between Saudi Aramco and the China Academy of Building Materials, and follows the launch of the Center of Excellence and Innovation in Non-Metallic Materials in Beijing in 2021 by Saudi Aramco and the China Building Materials Academy (CBMA), the scientific and technical arm of the CNBM Group.
