In the remote mountains of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates (UAE), a newly established plant is set to tackle atmospheric CO2 emissions by storing carbon dioxide within rock formations. This initiative is part of contentious efforts to address emissions contributing to global warming while continuing to rely on fossil fuels.
The plant, powered by innovative technology developed by Omani start-up 44.01, will use solar energy to extract carbon dioxide from the air. This captured CO2 will then be dissolved in seawater and injected deep underground, where it will mineralize over several months. The project, situated on the Gulf of Oman, receives funding from ADNOC, the state oil giant. ADNOC’s CEO Sultan Al Jaber, also the president of the UN’s COP28 climate talks and chairman of Masdar, a renewable energy company, is involved in this venture. The initial injection of CO2 into the rocks is expected to coincide with the start of COP28 in nearby Dubai, where discussions on hydrocarbons will be a focal point between environmental activists and the oil industry.
ADNOC’s chief technology officer, Sophie Hildebrand, mentioned the potential of the UAE’s rock formations to store significant amounts of CO2, emphasizing ADNOC’s commitment of $15 billion to decarbonization projects. However, specific investment figures for the Fujairah plant were not disclosed.
Despite being the world’s seventh-largest oil producer with plans for a $150 billion investment to expand oil and gas production, the UAE and other oil-producing nations are embracing carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology as a means to address global warming. Yet, climate experts remain skeptical, citing that current CCS initiatives are insufficient to combat the climate crisis due to limited investments and operational projects worldwide.
At the Fujairah plant, large fans extract CO2 from the atmosphere, storing it in tanks before transforming it into gas and combining it with seawater for injection into a deep well. The mineralization process is expected to take approximately eight months. 44.01, a recipient of the UK’s Earthshot Prize, has conducted a test injection of 1.2 tons of CO2 in Oman and aims to sequester one ton of CO2 daily for ten days at the UAE site.
The goal is to make the technology cost-competitive with conventional carbon storage methods, targeting an eventual expense of around $15 per ton of sequestered CO2, excluding capture costs. While Jaber advocates for climate diplomacy to focus on reducing oil and gas emissions, concerns have been raised by environmentalists about the heavy influence of fossil fuel interests at COP28, where carbon capture’s advantages will be strongly advocated. Critics emphasize the unproven scalability and effectiveness of carbon capture and storage technologies.