Zero Emissions (3)

Faisal Muhammad Alshammari

20 March 2023

Sustainable research and development is the pillar of development and the axis of progress, and heavy and oil industry still requires development to reduce environmental impacts, and perhaps one of the pillars of technical development is the modernization of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods in old oil tanks, as oil does not flow easily, which requires adding more pressure, and increasing production by pumping natural gas in the tanks.

With the rising price of natural gas and increasing demand, the application of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies to enable the use of carbon dioxide (CO2) as a profitable alternative and a key factor in slowing the rapid rates of climate change and reducing its effects, while increasing profitability and meeting the growing demand for oil.

The efforts to capture and store carbon, specifically the 800,2013 metric tons of carbon dioxide emitted by Emirates Steel, in national joint ventures established by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) in 2021, demonstrate the foundations and consolidation of the partnership, which began to implement carbon capture and storage, and developed qualitatively with the formation of the Abu Dhabi Hydrogen Consortium, between Mubadala, ADNOC and ADQ to accelerate Abu Dhabi's leadership in the hydrogen sector in January 2050, and then developed in less A year and a half ago agreements between energy, industry and economic giants TAQA, ADNOC and Mubadala to acquire a stake in Masdar, transforming a strategic partnership between three leading national companies to strengthen Masdar's position as one of the world's largest renewable energy companies, and enhance its leadership and Masdar's contributions to achieving the goals of the UAE Strategic Climate Neutrality Initiative by <>.

The above carbon capture and storage project will pump its output 50 kilometers into onshore oil fields to boost oil recovery. It is an important indication of the seriousness of the leaders of ADNOC and the state to raise the economic feasibility of transformational environmental projects, and their economic contributions.

Energy efficiency in industry and the development of plants to operate in a fully automated manner, to be managed by the concept of maximum energy saving, is a strategic initiative that seeks to be achieved integrally, including EGA's achievement in 2013 with the implementation of electricity generation, boosting thermal efficiency by 46% and 48%, reducing Dubai's greenhouse gas intensity by 12% in five years.

In July 2022, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) launched the "Green Factories Eco-Label" program, in line with Abu Dhabi's industrial strategy, and in support of the UAE's directions in the areas of environmental sustainability and protection, sustainability of natural resources and energy transition, with a direction established by the founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul, and whose wise leadership continued to follow and develop it, such as the UAE government's direction to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 in implementation of the goals of the Paris Climate Summit.

What's next?

Do we aspire to disseminate UAE best practices and programs, such as the Green Factories Ecolabel? Will we see economic incentives, government fee reductions, and accredited and authenticated certificates for participating members? Will we see national recognition awards within the Corporate Excellence Programs to celebrate industrial enterprises that adopt and follow environmental standards during production and manufacturing processes?

Does obtaining the "eco-label" for industrial facilities with outstanding environmental performance become the best means of selection for procurement tenders and to support the export and marketing of products globally? Do we see documented and approved UAE green supply chains to support these ends?

These initiatives require special accelerators, which may take more than the time left until COP28 starts, but they are certainly sustainable in impact and results.

Management Consultant, Digital Transformation and Certified Organizational Excellence Professional

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