Heavy industry has long been one of the hardest sectors to decarbonize. Steel and cement — vital for modern construction — account for more than 15 % of global CO₂ emissions.
At the heart of Saudi Arabia’s NEOM megaproject, engineers are rewriting that equation through hydrogen-based metallurgy and low-carbon materials.

The initiative’s centerpiece is a pilot facility for green steel production that replaces coal with renewable hydrogen as the reducing agent in the blast furnace process.
By eliminating fossil fuels entirely, this method cuts emissions by up to 95 % while maintaining the same structural integrity required for large-scale infrastructure.

Alongside steel, NEOM’s sustainable cement project substitutes traditional clinker with alternative binders derived from industrial by-products and captured CO₂.
These new blends drastically lower the material’s embodied carbon while improving durability and curing time — a crucial factor in desert environments.

Both facilities are powered by NEOM’s massive renewable energy base, combining solar and wind power with advanced storage.
The result: a fully integrated supply chain that transforms one of the world’s most carbon-intensive industries into a circular, exportable model.

Beyond technology, NEOM’s green materials strategy has global implications.
By proving that sustainable steel and cement can be produced competitively, it sets a precedent for other regions rich in renewable energy potential — from North Africa to Australia.

The lessons extend far beyond construction.
When the core materials of civilization become clean, everything built from them — roads, bridges, and cities — inherits that sustainability.
NEOM’s approach shows that even the hardest-to-abate sectors can become part of the solution, not the problem.