China's building material giant, Saudi Aramco sign deal to advance green materials

RIYADH, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- China National Building Material Group (CNBM) and Saudi Aramco signed a five-year cooperation agreement on Tuesday to explore new opportunities in advanced materials and industrial development.

The companies identified potential areas of collaboration, including establishing manufacturing facilities in Saudi Arabia for wind turbine blades, hydrogen storage tanks, lower-carbon building materials, and energy storage solutions.

They also discussed a joint technology development center and laboratory to promote innovation.

CNBM Chairman Zhou Yuxian said the agreement combined the strengths of both companies for a win-win partnership.

"The CNBM is dedicated to promoting the green and low-carbon transformation of the building materials industry," said Zhou. He added that this collaboration will help the CNBM utilize its expertise in offering comprehensive low-carbon solutions in the non-metallic materials sector, thereby supporting Saudi Aramco's transformation and development.

Wail Al Jaafari, Aramco's executive vice president for technical services, highlighted the company's commitment to expanding its relationship with CNBM to pursue breakthroughs in materials science.

"By combining Aramco's expertise in nonmetallic materials and CNBM's industry know-how, we aim to identify groundbreaking advances and new business opportunities," he said.

The cooperation agreement builds on Aramco's existing relationship with CNBM, following the launch of the Nonmetallic Excellence and Innovation Center for Building Materials in Beijing in 2021.