UAE’s ADNOC Group to invest in Habshan carbon capture

UAE’s ADNOC Group has reached a final investment decision to develop the Habshan carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) project. The CCUS project will have the capacity to capture and permanently store 1.5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of carbon dioxide within geological formations deep underground.

The Habshan project will triple the company’s carbon capture capacity to 2.3 mtpa, equivalent to removing over 500,000 gasoline-powered cars from the road per year, ADNOC said in a statement.

The project will be built, operated and maintained by ADNOC Gas on behalf of ADNOC. It will include carbon capture units at the Habshan gas processing plant, pipeline infrastructure, and a network of wells for carbon injection.

The state-owned energy giant did not provide a cost estimate for the project. ADNOC said the investment is part of its broader carbon management strategy that seeks to accelerate the delivery of its decarbonisation goals. CCUS

“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,” said Musabbeh Al Kaabi, ADNOC executive director of Low Carbon Solutions and International Growth.

Al Kaabi said ADNOC continues its transformation towards a lower carbon future while highlighting that the company seeks to make further investments to significantly reduce its carbon emissions.

The oil major is implementing several innovative, technology-driven pilot projects, including carbon dioxide mineralisation and full carbon sequestration in saline aquifers, as part of its decarbonisation strategy.

The company said carbon captured will be permanently stored in reservoirs deep in the sub-surface through the deployment of closed-loop carbon capture and reinjection technology.

ADNOC decarbonisation drive

ADNOC has placed sustainability at the heart of its long-term strategy. The company is decarbonising its operations, investing in renewables and low-carbon fuels and building a global hydrogen value chain.

The state oil giant opened its first carbon capture, transportation and storage facility in 2016. The facility, which is located in Al Reyadah in Abu Dhabi, can process up to 800,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year captured at Emirates Steel Arkan.

The carbon dioxide gas captured at the Habshan project will be pumped into an oil field where it will be used to boost output in a process known as enhanced oil recovery.

Earlier in August, the company partnered with Occidental Petroleum to explore CCUS investment opportunities in the UAE and the US to create a carbon management platform to accelerate the two entities’ net zero goals.

ADNOC and Occidental are evaluating the development of direct air capture (DAC) facilities in the UAE as part of the deal, including what could be the first megaton DAC project constructed outside of the US. carbon capture

The two entities will also assess the joint development of one or more direct air-capture plants in the UAE that could absorb as much as one million tons of carbon dioxide annually.

The state oil giant brought forward its net zero carbon emissions target by five years to 2045 and plans to achieve zero methane emissions by 2030.

Read: UAE’s ADNOC sets ambitious emission target ahead of COP28