The potential role of seasonal pumped hydropower storage in decarbonizing the power sector in Saudi Arabia

• Published in: Renewable & sustainable energy reviews 2025-04, Vol.211, p.115361, Article 115361
• Main Authors: Hunt, Julian David, Odeh, Naser, Hejazi, Mohamed, Kamboj, Puneet, Osipov, Sergey, Wada, Yoshihide
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Decarbonization; Pumped hydropower storage; Seasonal energy storage; Variable renewable energy; Water management; Water storage
• ISSN: 1364-0321
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2025.115361

In line with the broader ambitions of Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia aims to achieve greenhouse gas net zero emissions by 2060. At the heart of this ambition is decarbonizing the power generation sector with a commitment to 50 % of power generation capacity from renewables by 2030. Despite the affordability of renewable power generation options, long-term renewable energy storage solutions are still expensive. This paper investigates the role that seasonal pumped hydro storage (SPHS) can play in renewable energy storage and, hence, decarbonizing power generation in Saudi Arabia. SPHS is a practical approach for storing energy seasonaly in Saudi Arabia because the country has a large demand for seawater desalination, and by storing desalinated water, we indirectly store the energy required to desalinate the seawater, which is substatial. Ten proposed SPHS locations have been analyzed across the Kingdom. The study identified two attractive SPHS locations requiring an investment of around 16.5 billion USD to store 6.2 km3/yr for 15 to 22 USD/MWh of electricity and with a total seasonal compensation (SC, defined as the energy saving in the summer as a result of storing desalinated water in the winter) of around 69 TWh/y. Further work is needed to evaluate the impact of the share of renewable capacity on the feasibility of SPHS. This paper shows that SPHS can potentially contribute to the decarbonization of the power sector in Saudi Arabia and the balancing of the electricity grid as part of a full suite of energy storage options. •SPHS using desalinated water can play a critical role in decarbonizing Saudi Arabia's power sector.•Ten potential SPHS sites presented with a total seasonal energy compensation capacity of 130.6 TWh per year.•The ten proposed projects can store up to 14.7 km³ of desalinated water in the winter.•The two SPHS sites with the best potential can meet all of Saudi Arabia's need for inter-seasonal energy storage.•SPHS has a levelized cost of seasonal compensation (LCOS) as low as 14 USD/MWh in Saudi Arabia.