Saudi oil company joins forces with Chinese building materials giant

The Cooperation Framework Agreement between Saudi Aramco and the China National Building Material Group Co (CNBM) will explore “new opportunities in advanced materials and industrial development”, according to an announcement.

The companies have identified a number of areas for potential collaboration, including the possible establishment of manufacturing facilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to produce wind turbine blades, hydrogen storage tanks, lower-carbon building materials, and energy storage solutions.

The companies said that other areas of focus would include a potential new centre for training, inspection and accreditation, as well as a proposed joint technology development centre and laboratory to promote innovation.

The CFA builds on Aramco’s existing relationship with CNBM and follows the 2021 launch of the Nonmetallic Excellence and Innovation Center for Building Materials (NEXCEL), in Beijing, by Aramco and the China Building Materials Academy (CBMA) — the science and technology branch of CNBM.

Wail Al Jaafari, Aramco EVP of technical services, said, “We look forward to expanding our efforts with CNBM as we pursue new breakthroughs in materials science that have potential to deliver tangible benefits for the building sector and beyond. From developing solutions that could reduce construction emissions to innovations that enhance product performance, our goal is to help drive the materials transition.”

Zhou Yuxian, CNBM chairman, said: “This agreement combines CNBM’s and Aramco’s respective strengths with the goal of win-win cooperation. CNBM is seeking to promote a low-carbon transition through the nonmetallic materials industry. By leveraging our work in low-carbon integrated solutions, CNBM aims to complement Aramco’s efforts to advance the materials transition.”