Adnoc’s Abu Dhabi CO2 storage site gets go-ahead

Christopher Pike/Reuters

• $15bn decarbonisation plan
• 10m tonnes by 2030
• Net-zero by 2045

The UAE has certified the feasibility of Abu Dhabi National Oil Corporation’s (Adnoc) West Aquifier CO2 storage site in Ruwais industrial site.

The issuance of the Certificate of Feasibility for the West Aquifer project was issued by Det Norske Veritas (DNV), a global accredited registrar and classification organisation.

The DNV said it is the first such approval in the Middle East. 

Santiago Blanco, regional director for the Middle East at DNV, said: “This project serves as a tangible step toward meeting the UAE’s net zero goals and highlights the vital role that CCS [carbon capture and storage] will play in shaping a sustainable energy future.”

Adnoc aims to expand its CCS capacity to 10 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) by 2030, and to hit net-zero emissions by 2045.

The West Aquifer project is part of a $15 billion multi-year action plan to decarbonise Adnoc’s operations. Once operational, it will initially fully sequester a minimum of 18,000 tonnes per year of CO2 captured from Fertiglobe’s UAE operations, according to Adnoc.

DNV has verified that the project meets the necessary technical, environmental and regulatory criteria.

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Adnoc runs one CCS plant of 0.8 mtpa decarbonising processes at Emirates Steel. It has made a final investment decision for projects to add around 4 mtpa of capacity. It is also planning to develop a CCS portfolio in the US and Mexico.

DNV’s Energy Transition Outlook 2024 report said that while CCS is gaining some momentum worldwide, overall volumes remain modest, with only 2 percent of global emissions captured by CCS in 2040 and 6 percent in 2050. The Middle East is expected to make up 5 percent of CCS capacity in 2025 and 20 percent of global capacity by 2050.

According to the CCS Institute’s 2023 report, 392 CCS facilities are in the pipeline around the world, with a capacity of 400,000-500,000 tonnes per year and a dedicated site for geological storage or enhanced recovery. There are also hundreds of smaller projects planned.

About 40 sites are now operational, three of which are in Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.