By Al-Fassel and AFP | 2023-09-06

DUBAI -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE)'s Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) announced a major new carbon capture project on Wednesday (September 6), less than three months before it hosts United Nations (UN) climate talks in Dubai.

The new initiative will siphon planet-heating CO2 emissions from the Habshan gas processing plant in Abu Dhabi and store them permanently underground, a statement said.

The project, described as one of the biggest in the Middle East and North Africa, will be able to capture up to 1.5 million tons of CO2 a year, tripling ADNOC's carbon capture capacity to 2.3 million tons per year, it said.

ADNOC brought forward its net zero carbon emissions target by five years to 2045 in July, Reuters reported.

"As ADNOC continues its transformation towards a lower-carbon future, it is our intention to make further investments to significantly reduce our emissions, including in carbon capture and storage," said Musabbeh Al Kaabi, executive director of Low Carbon Solutions and International Growth.

"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," he said.

No cost or timeline was announced for the venture, which will be built and operated by ADNOC subsidiary ADNOC Gas and includes carbon capture units, pipelines and a network of wells for CO2 injection.

ADNOC is hoping to "maintain its leading position in producing low carbon-intensity barrels" of fuel with its carbon capture initiatives, the statement said.

The UAE, one of the world's biggest oil producers, is a supporter of carbon capture technologies that hold out the possibility of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while still pumping fossil fuels.

The approach remains divisive, however, with opponents pointing to the difficulty of capturing adequate quantities and urging more focus on phasing out hydrocarbons.

The UAE is hosting the UN COP28 climate summit, whose incoming president is ADNOC Chief Executive Sultan al-Jaber, from November 30 to December 12.

ADNOC said in January it would allocate $15 billion to decarbonization projects by 2030.