據3月18日TradeArabia報道，沙特能源部長阿卜杜勒阿齊茲·本·薩勒曼王子表示，沙特計劃將國內液態烴的消耗量減少100萬桶/天。

在2019年夏季需求高峰期間，沙特用于工業和發電的石油日消耗量約為49.1萬桶。美國能源信息署(US Energy Information Administration)曾估計，在2015年需求創紀錄的夏季高峰期，這一數字接近100萬桶/天。

沙特能源部長表示:“如果我們要保持油氣生產商的長期穩定地位，我們就必須有足夠的創新和合作，以確保這些油氣資源將被貨幣化，并以更好的方式加以利用。我們正在啟動一個可持續發展項目，試圖找到以不同方式使用碳氫化合物的方法，特別是在材料方面，并且不會對環境產生影響?！?/span>

減少國內需求也可能幫助沙特阿拉伯國家石油公司將其長期閑置產能從歷史上的150萬桶/天提高到200萬桶/天。據調查，由于沙特與歐佩克+達成了自主減產協議。歐佩克+在2月份將產量限制在813萬桶/天，出口量低于600萬桶/天，這表示沙特1200萬桶/天的產能中有更多的原油可供使用。

阿卜杜拉國王石油研究與研究中心(King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and research Centre) 2018年發表的一篇研究論文預測，沙特國內汽油和電力價格的上漲可以有效地將出口能力提高逾7.5萬桶/天，同時每年減少9700萬噸碳排放。

他指出:“我們今年將推出的液體置換項目將減少我們在所有公用事業上的石油和石油產品的消耗?！?/span>

值得一提的還有氫能的驅動。

沙特和其他國家通過各種改革，擴大燃氣發電廠，在減少電力部門的燃料燃燒方面取得了進展。根據國際海事組織(IMO) 2020協議，沙特的電力部門可能也受益于該地區更多的重油供應。

根據國際貨幣基金組織(IMF)的數據，依賴石油的沙特需要每桶約80美元的石油價格來平衡其預算。與此同時，據阿卜杜勒阿齊茲王子表示，沙特正在能源領域推進減緩氣候變化的舉措。

其中包括一個價值50億美元的綠色制氫設施，由可再生能源供電，目標是每天提供650噸無碳氫供出口。該設施位于NEOM智能城市，該項目于7月宣布。沙特還宣布，計劃到2030年，可再生能源和天然氣的發電量分別占該國總發電量的50%。

他補充道:“我們現在正處于助推談判成果落地的階段，我們愿意執行我們在巴黎協議中達成的協議。但同時我們也必須考慮國情。如果想要兼收并蓄，你就必須考慮到每一個參與的國家。”

王佳晶 摘譯自 TradeArabia

原文如下：

Saudi Arabia targets 1m b/d cut in domestic oil use

Saudi Arabia plans to reduce domestic consumption of liquid hydrocarbons by one million barrels per day (b/d) for use "in a better way", the kingdom's Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the kingdom was consuming around 491,000 b/d of oil for industrial use and power generation during the height of its summer demand in 2019. The US Energy Information Administration had estimated the figure to be closer to 1 million b/d in 2015 at the peak of summer during a record year for demand.

"If we are to maintain our position as a long-term carbon producer, we have to be innovative enough and collaborative enough to ensure these hydrocarbon resources will be monetized and used in a better way," said the Saudi minister during the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue, broadcast online March 16. "We are launching a sustainability program to try to find ways to use hydrocarbons in different ways, especially in terms of materials, which will not be impacting or affecting the environment in any way."

Reducing domestic demand could also help Saudi Aramco increase its long-term spare capacity from levels of around 1.5 million b/d to 2 million b/d historically. The kingdom has more crude available from its 12 million b/d production capacity, due to its self-enforced cuts agreed with OPEC+, which have limited production to 8.13 million b/d in February, according to the latest S&P Global Platts survey, with exports below 6 million b/d.

A research paper published in 2018 by the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Centre forecast that increases in domestic gasoline and electricity prices in the kingdom could effectively boost export capacity by over 75,000 b/d, while cutting carbon emissions by 97 million tons annually.

"The liquid displacement program that we will be introducing this year will take care of reducing our petroleum and petroleum product consumption from all utilities," said Prince Abdulaziz.

Hydrogen drive

Saudi and other states have made headway reducing fuel burn in the power sector through various reforms and the expansion of gas-fired generation plants for electricity and desalination. The kingdom's power sector may also have benefited from the availability of more heavy fuel oil in the region following the introduction of tougher regulations on shipping fuel under the IMO 2020 agreement.

Hydrocarbon-dependent Saudi Arabia needs a breakeven price of about $80/b to balance its budget, according to the IMF.

Meanwhile, Saudi is pushing ahead with climate change mitigation initiatives in the energy sector, according to Prince Abdulaziz said.

These include a $5 billion green hydrogen production facility powered by renewable energy targeted to provide 650 tons of carbon-free hydrogen daily for export, situated at its NEOM smart city, which was announced in July. Saudi Arabia has also announced plans to have 50% of its power generated by renewables and 50% generated from natural gas by 2030.

"We are now in a phase of delivering what we have negotiated," he said. "We are willingly executing what we have agreed to in the Paris agreement. We have to be mindful of national circumstances. If want to be inclusive you have to be mindful of each nation you want to participate with you."