Adnoc plans CO2 injections for early 2016

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) is on schedule to start injecting carbon dioxide into oilfields in the first quarter of 2016.

The move aims to help in reducing CO2 emissions, boosting oil production through enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques and replacing natural gas used in oilfields, a company official said.

The project involves capturing and then piping 800,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year to fields operated by Adnoc. The CO2 will be sourced from Emirates Steel, the UAE’s largest steelmaking facility.

The project is a joint venture between Adnoc, which holds a 51 per cent stake, and the green energy firm Masdar.

“This CO2 is being used in reservoirs to enhance oil, so now we are talking about replacing the rich gas which was going in there to give it back to Abu Dhabi,” said Dipak Sakaria, the carbon-capture facilities project manager at Adnoc.

Abu Dhabi is also experiencing rising local demand for gas and would like to replace its use in the energy sector to free it up for commercial uses and for power generation.

The emirate also has one of the world’s highest per-capita carbon footprints, which it is seeking to reduce.

Follow The National's Business section on Twitter