UAE Focus December 2016 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and Masdar have jointly developed the first carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) plant in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region. The project, which is now operational, aims to sequester up to 800,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year. Developed by Abu Dhabi’s Carbon Capture Company Al Reyadah, a joint venture between Adnoc and Masdar, the project harnesses CO2 emitted by Emirates Steel Industries (ESI), before injecting it as a substitute for rich gas into the emirate’s oil reservoirs to help enhance their output. Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State, Adnoc chief executive and chairman of Masdar, officially unveiled the groundbreaking facility. Based in Abu Dhabi’s Mussafah industrial area next to Emirates Steel Industries, Al Reyadah’s inaugural CCUS project started construction in July 2013. The project is one of only 22 large-scale CCUS ventures either in operation or under construction worldwide, and the first to capture CO2 from an iron and steel works. The CCUS technology now deployed in Abu Dhabi will free up more natural gas for electricity generation, water desalination and other industrial uses while enhancing oil recovery. The technology works in three stages. Carbon dioxide is first captured on site at the Emirates Steel manufacturing complex before being compressed and dehydrated. The third step involves conveying the CO2 via a 43-km underground pipeline for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) injection into Adnoc’s NEB (Al Rumaitha) and Bab onshore oilfields. More Stories
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and Masdar have developed the first carbon capture utilisation and storage plant in the Middle East and North Africa region. The project aims to store away up to 800,000 tonnes of CO2 July 2013 emitted from Emirates Steel Industries before injecting it into Abu Dhabi's oil reservoirs as a substitute for rich gas. This will free up more natural gas for electricity generation, water desalinisation and other industrial processes. The plant is the first large-scale CCS project in the world to capture CO2 from an iron and steel works.