Skip to main content

Middle East

1 October 2025

Press Release: Kent appointed by ACWA Power as Owner’s Engineer on landmark Yanbu Green Hydrogen Hub in Saudi Arabia

Kent’s Press Release: 1 October 2025, Yanbu, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

  • Project set to be one of the world’s largest integrated green hydrogen facilities, advancing Saudi Arabia’s leadership in renewable energy

Kent, a global leader in integrated energy services, has been appointed by ACWA Power as Owner’s Engineer for the Yanbu Green Hydrogen Hub, a major green hydrogen and ammonia export facility being developed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The project is set to become one of the largest of its kind globally, forming a centrepiece of the country’s clean energy transition strategy and aligning closely with Vision 2030.

Situated in the port city of Yanbu on the Red Sea, the project will feature full integration across the green hydrogen value chain. This includes its own dedicated renewable power generation, desalination plants, ammonia production lines and an export terminal. At full scale, the facility will deliver up to 400,000 tonnes of renewable hydrogen per year, converted into over 2.2 million tonnes of green ammonia for international markets. With more than 4 gigawatts of electrolysis capacity planned, the Yanbu hub is expected to be nearly twice the size of the NEOM Green Hydrogen Project.

As Owner’s Engineer, Kent will act as ACWA Power’s technical representative throughout the front-end engineering design (FEED) phase being deliver through a Joint Venture between Técnicas Reunidas and Sinopec. The Kent team will provide independent oversight and assurance to support safe, efficient and technically robust project delivery. Kent’s responsibilities include ensuring engineering design compliance with international standards, reviewing safety and constructability, managing technical interfaces and integration across the various workstreams, and advising on risk and design optimisation. The team will also support ACWA Power in planning the transition into the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) phase.

Commenting on the award, John Gilley, CEO at Kent said: “We are proud to be supporting ACWA Power on a project of such global significance. Our role as Owner’s Engineer allows us to bring together deep technical expertise and a long history of managing complex energy projects, helping to lay the foundations for safe, scalable and sustainable hydrogen infrastructure.”

Marco Arcelli, CEO of ACWA Power, said: “The Yanbu Green Hydrogen Hub is a monumental step forward in realising Saudi Arabia’s green hydrogen ambitions and solidifies ACWA Power’s position as a first mover and global leader in this critical sector. This project highlights our commitment to innovation, scale, and delivering a sustainable and secure energy future. Our partnership with Kent will ensure the project benefits from world-class technical oversight as we progress towards final investment decision and construction.”

Kent’s appointment builds on its growing portfolio of energy transition work in the Middle East, reflecting the company’s commitment to advancing decarbonised energy systems worldwide.

 

Latest in Middle East

Duqm Refinery looking at further expansion

Following an increase in its processing capacity, Duqm Refinery is now looking at further expansion projects at the $9 billion refinery project located, in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm (SEZAD) on Oman’s southeast coast. The refinery, which now has an expanded capacity of 255,000 bbl/d, is run by OQ8, a joint venture between Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI) and Oman’s OQ Group. Speaking to local media, CEO Abdulla Al Ajmi said that OQ8 has now begun front end engineering design on a reformer unit to upgrade naphtha into high-octane gasoline components such as reformate, a critical step in producing finished, specification-grade fuels. In addition to the proposed reformer unit, Duqm Refinery is also exploring opportunities to enhance value creation from its refining by-products, notably sulphur and coke.

Contract awarded for sour oil field development

The Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) has awarded global oilfield services firm SLB a five-year integrated contract worth about $1.5 billion for the next phase of development at Kuwait’s Mutriba oil field. The contract covers design, development and production management work and builds on SLB’s existing subsurface studies of the Mutriba field. It includes development of high-pressure, high-temperature reservoirs with sour conditions, expanding SLB’s scope as the project moves into more technically complex stages. SLB says that the award reflects its long-standing partnership with KOC and gives the company end-to-end responsibility for planning and execution as field development progresses.