The EU GCC Clean Energy Network and the Petroleum Institute announced the conclusion of the joint two days event on 8-9 November organised in association with ADNOC, the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology and the Clean Energy Business Council. The event convened on November 8 more than fifty (50) prominent clean energy experts for the Network’s Working Groups on carbon capture and storage (CCS) and clean gas. The Working Groups meetings included presentations and interactions with experts from ADNOC ENP, ECN, GASCO, Masdar Institute, Petroleum Development Oman, The Petroleum Institute, Total EP, and UAE University. The event continued on November 9 with a training workshop on energy efficiency and renewable energy applications for the oil and gas industry, which hosted fruitful contributions from experts from ENERWHERE, IRENA, Qamar Energy and Shell, in front of an audience of more than sixty experts.

According to the International Energy Agency, CCS could contribute approximately 14% of total energy-related carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by 2050. In this context, attendees of the two-day event discussed opportunities and strategies to advance the technology to help the UAE reduce its emissions by 15% by 2021.

Commenting on the workshops, Dr. Marc Durandeau, senior vice president – research and development for the Petroleum Institute, said: “The GCC region has vast potential to develop renewable energy that can be used to accelerate the shift toward a ‘green economy.’ The Petroleum Institute is playing a key role in achieving the UAE’s vision and transition to a knowledge economy by advancing research facilities and techniques, partnering with international institutions and fostering innovation in research.”

“This week the Paris Agreement went into force, which aims to keep global warming below 2°C, ideally below 1.5°C. Carbon capture and storage, as well as more efficient use of natural gas are key technology areas toward achieving that goal. The combined efforts of The Petroleum Institute, the EU-GCC Clean Energy Network and other stakeholders to understand where science and technology can take us, is crucial to ensuring our sustainable development,” said Frank Wouters, Director, EU-GCC Clean Energy Network.

“The workshop provides a great opportunity to learn from others and to refocus the research agenda toward enabling carbon capture and storage at a scale 20 to 50 times larger per storage project than has been achieved in the last two decades,” said Dr. Martin Jagger, career coordinator at ADNOC ENP.

Commenting on the workshop, Dr. Mohamed Abu Zahra, head of the chemical and environmental engineering department at the Masdar Institute, said: “This workshop serves as a good opportunity to discuss potential collaboration between EU and GCC countries in the area of carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies.  The workshop coincides with the opening of the large-scale CCUS project in Abu Dhabi jointly operated by Masdar and ADNOC.”