Large carbon-capture project planned in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi’s state-owned energy company ADNOC said it will 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, the company said.

Once complete, the project will effectively triple ADNOC’s carbon capture capacity to 2.3 mtpa, equivalent to removing over 500,000 gasoline-powered cars off the road each year. (Image: ADNOC)

The project is part of ADNOC’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. As part of this strategy, the company is implementing several pilot projects, including CO2 mineralization and full carbon sequestration in saline aquifers.

The project will triple ADNOC’s carbon capture capacity to 2.3 mtpa and 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 CO2 injection. 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. The FID to develop the project fully aligns with ADNOC’s recently announced Net Zero by 2045 ambition and forms part of the company’s initial $15 billion (AED55 billion) decarbonization investment in low carbon solutions.

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. Building on Al Reyadah, the Habshan carbon capture project could provide for enhanced oil recovery of low carbon-intensity barrels as well as the production of low-carbon feedstocks such as hydrogen, to help customers decarbonize their operations.

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.