Saudi Aramco and Air Products announced the signing of an agreement to jointly-build the first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle fueling station in Saudi Arabia. The collaboration between the two companies will combine Air Products' technological know-how and experience in the field of hydrogen with Saudi Aramco's industrial experience, facilities and R&D capabilities. Saudi Aramco and Air Products will establish a pilot fleet of fuel cell vehicles for which high-purity compressed hydrogen will be dispensed at the new fueling station.

Air Products' proprietary SmartFuel® hydrogen fueling technology will be incorporated into the new station to supply the vehicles with compressed hydrogen. The collected data during this pilot phase of the project will provide valuable information for the assessment of future applications of this emerging transport technology in the local environment. The hydrogen refueling station, the first in the Kingdom, is expected to be operational in the second quarter of 2019.