ADNOC announced they would develop one of the biggest carbon capture projects in the MENA area. The ground-breaking Habshan carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) project will have the ability to capture and permanently store 1.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per annum (MTPA) within subterranean geological formations.
ADNOC’s Carbon Management Plan: Accelerating Decarbonization Goals
The announcement is part of ADNOC’s larger carbon management plan, which aims to build a special platform that connects all emission sources and sequestration sites to speed up ADNOC’s and the UAE’s decarbonization goals. As part of this strategy, the company is running a number of cutting-edge test projects driven by technology. These projects include full carbon sequestration in saline aquifers and CO2 mineralization.
The project will triple ADNOC’s capacity for carbon capture to 2.3 MTPA using best-in-class technology, equivalent to taking over 500,000 gas-powered cars off the road annually. The project will include carbon capture units at the Habshan gas processing plant, pipeline infrastructure, and a network of wells for CO2 injection.
ADNOC Gas will build, operate, and maintain the project on behalf of ADNOC. Through the use of closed-loop CO2 capture and reinjection technology at the well site, CO2 will be permanently stored in reservoirs deep underground as part of ADNOC’s ongoing decarbonization efforts. The FID for the project is part of the company’s initial $15 billion (AED55 billion) decarbonization investment in low-carbon solutions, which is fully in line with ADNOC’s recently announced Net Zero by 2045 ambition.
According to Musabbeh Al Kaabi, ADNOC Executive Director of Low Carbon Solutions and International Growth, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change claimed that carbon capture and storage was essential for the world to achieve net-zero emissions by the second half of the century. He pointed out that the project was only one of several practical steps that ADNOC was putting into place as part of their accelerated decarbonization plan to achieve their goal of Net Zero by 2045.
He also shared that ADNOC planned to spend more on reducing emissions, such as carbon capture and storage, as it continued to move toward a future with reduced carbon emissions. Al Kaabi said that they are committed to working with others to improve innovation and technology in order to build on their world-famous name and leadership in carbon management.
In 2016, Al Reyadah in Abu Dhabi became the first location for ADNOC’s carbon capture, transportation, and storage plant. At Emirates Steel Arkan, the facility can treat up to 800,000 tons of CO2 annually. The Habshan carbon capture project, which builds on Al Reyadah, could offer better oil recovery of the sector’s top low-carbon-intensity barrels and create low-carbon feedstocks like hydrogen to assist clients in decarbonizing their operations.
Takeaways
Sustainability is at the core of ADNOC’s long-term plan. The company is reducing the carbon footprint of its operations, investing in low-carbon and renewable energy sources, developing a worldwide hydrogen value chain, implementing cutting-edge climate technology, and expanding bio-based solutions like mangrove planting in the UAE.
