Carbon capture is key lever in delivering ADNOC’s Net Zero by 2045 ambition
ADNOC has announced a final investment decision (FID) to develop one of the largest carbon capture projects in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
The pioneering Habshan carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) project will have the capacity to capture and permanently store 1.5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of carbon dioxide (CO2) within geological formations deep underground.
ADNOC’s announcement is part of the company’s wider carbon management strategy, which aims to create a unique platform that connects all the sources of emissions and sequestration sites to accelerate the delivery of ADNOC and the UAE’s decarbonization goals.
Using best-in-class technology, the project will triple ADNOC’s carbon capture capacity to 2.3mtpa, equivalent to removing over 500,000 gasoline-powered cars from the road per year. The project, to be built, operated and maintained by ADNOC Gas on behalf of ADNOC, will include carbon capture units at the Habshan gas processing plant, pipeline infrastructure, and a network of wells for CO2 injection.
Decarbonization efforts
As part of ADNOC’s ongoing decarbonization efforts, CO2 will be permanently stored in reservoirs deep in the sub-surface through the deployment of closed-loop CO2 capture and reinjection technology at the well site.
“This landmark project is one of many tangible initiatives that ADNOC is delivering as we accelerate our decarbonization plan to meet our Net Zero by 2045 ambition,” remarked Musabbeh Al Kaabi, ADNOC Executive Director of Low Carbon Solutions and International Growth, ADNOC.
ADNOC has placed sustainability at the heart of its long-term strategy. The company is decarbonizing its operations while also investing in renewables and low carbon fuels, building a global hydrogen value chain, deploying innovative climate technology solutions, and advancing nature-based solutions such as planting mangroves in the UAE.
Carbon capture
In 2016, ADNOC opened its first carbon capture, transportation and storage facility at Al Reyadah in Abu Dhabi. The facility has the capacity to process up to 800,000 tons of CO₂ per year captured at Emirates Steel Arkan.
ADNOC and Occidental are also working to assess potential investment opportunities in the UAE and the United States in both carbon capture and storage and direct air capture.
As part of its longstanding decarbonization drive, ADNOC currently acquires 100% of its grid power from the Emirates Water and Electricity Company’s (EWEC) nuclear and solar sources, making the company the first major oil and gas company in the world to decarbonize its power at scale though an agreement of this kind.
Furthermore, ADNOC is developing a US$ 3.8bn (AED14bn) project to build a sub-sea transmission network, which upon completion, could reduce ADNOC’s offshore carbon intensity by up to 50%, a press communique concluded.
