Saudi Aramco Joins MIT Energy Initiative

HOUSTON, January 13, 2010 - Saudi Aramco recently joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative (MITEI) as a sustaining member. The five-year alliance will support MITEI’s research and development of new energy technologies and improve processing techniques for cleaner fuels.

Isam A. Al-Bayat, Saudi Aramco’s vice president of Engineering Services, and Rafael Reif, MIT provost, signed a letter of acknowledgement at MIT’s offices in Cambridge, Mass. to formalize the relationship.

Additional representatives from Saudi Aramco and Aramco Services Co. (ASC) joined others from MIT to help celebrate the event. They were Ali Abuali, ASC president and CEO; Nasser Al-Wohaibi, then-manager of Saudi Aramco’s Research and Development Center (R&DC); Mohammed Al-Dossary and Mohammed Aljishi, both lab scientists with R&DC; Ali Al-Somali, a Saudi Aramco visiting scientist at MIT; and Maher Uraijah, a research and technology coordinator with ASC Engineering Services

Reif expressed his gratitude to Saudi Aramco and its global affiliates for their support and vision of an abundant and cleaner energy future. “This relationship has great potential to make a major contribution to how the world produces and consumes energy,” Reif said.

Al-Bayat said Saudi Aramco was honored to join with such a world-class organization “to support innovative energy research to help meet the world’s energy challenges.”

Established in 2006, MITEI brings together top researchers from MIT and the business sector to launch new initiatives focused on energy security, clean-fuel technologies and education.

Others signing on to the initiative include oil industry majors such as BP, Chevron, Schlumberger, ENI and Total; as well as companies such as ABB, Bosch and Siemens that represent other energy sectors.

As a sustaining member, Saudi Aramco will have a seat on the MITEI governing board, which provides key input into the initiative’s research portfolio. Saudi Aramco’s participation will also allow the company to work through MITEI to conduct customized research that supports R&DC’s priorities.

Two research projects currently under way are “Whole Crude Oil Desulfurization by Supercritical Water,” and “Bioprocess Engineering on Microbial Desulfurization.”

Additionally, Saudi Aramco’s collaboration with MIT will provide a range of education-sharing programs, including opportunities for company-sponsored students to attend MIT to conduct their post-graduate studies related to the funded research.

Representatives from Saudi Aramco’s R&DC — along with ASC Engineering — worked with MITEI to propose research projects and review seed-fund initiatives and will continue to represent the company on MITEI’s various committees and work groups.