Saudi Aramco HVAC Energy Audit: Juaymah NGL Facility and Ras Tanura Refinery
Project: Saudi Aramco, HVAC Energy and Environmental Assessment (Juaymah NGL Facility & Ras Tanura Refinery)
Service: Consulting
Location: Juaymah and Ras Tanura, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia
Client: Saudi Aramco
Status: Completed, 2023
Refineries rank among the most energy-intensive facility types in the world, and their HVAC infrastructure, often spread across hundreds of individual units serving control rooms, administrative buildings, and process areas, is a significant yet frequently overlooked source of avoidable energy consumption. Saudi Aramco engaged ZOMCO x FREE energy to conduct a detailed HVAC technical assessment across two of its major Eastern Province facilities, the Juaymah natural gas liquids facility and the Ras Tanura refinery, combining a full energy consulting and audit scope with an environmental review of the global warming potential of the refrigerants and cooling technologies in use on site.
More than 200 HVAC units across both complexes were physically assessed, evaluating equipment age, refrigerant type, cooling load performance, controls integration, and maintenance condition against ASHRAE and international best-practice benchmarks, using a combination of on-site inspections and data logger monitoring to establish efficiency baselines. Each unit was scored for retrofit or replacement potential, with findings consolidated into a prioritized action plan that balanced capital cost against projected energy savings, consistent with an ISO 50001-aligned energy management approach. Units using higher-GWP refrigerants were specifically flagged for phased replacement, aligning the recommendations with both energy efficiency and emissions-reduction objectives.
The assessment found that approximately 90% of HVAC units across both sites required replacement, and identified a pathway to a 35% reduction in HVAC-related energy consumption across the assessed units, with an estimated payback period of approximately three years on the recommended retrofit measures. Deliverables included a technical assessment report and a phased replacement roadmap to support Aramco’s future investment decisions in higher-efficiency systems, alongside benefits in operational resilience, enhanced safety conditions, and improved indoor comfort.
Completed in 2023, the assessment was carried out in close coordination with Aramco’s facilities engineering team and forms one part of a broader, multi-year relationship with Saudi Aramco that also spans cathodic protection solar systems and a dedicated multi-site solar retrofit program. The project illustrates the team’s ability to work within the demanding safety, security, and technical protocols of a major national oil company while still delivering clear, actionable, and financially justified energy-saving recommendations at scale.
