Adnoc breaks new ground with Middle East geothermal project backed by $15 billion green fund

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company has struck a breakthrough deal to partner with the emirate’s National Central Cooling Company (Tabreed) in the first project in the Gulf region to use geothermal energy for cooling purposes. The proposed project aims to reduce the carbon footprint of both companies. It will be enabled by an Adnoc’s $15 billion decarbonisation investment fund targeting the implementation of low carbon solutions in its business, the company said. The plan supports Adnoc’s decarbonisation initiatives and the net zero goal by 2045 as well as the Abu Dhabi Climate Change Strategy and the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative, it added. The decision to move ahead to form a joint venture came after the testing of two geothermal wells drilled at Masdar City in Abu Dhabi. These wells produced hot water at temperatures exceeding 90 degrees Celsius and flow rates of approximately 100 litres per second. The hot water generated by the heat from the wells will pass through absorption chillers that will cool down an incoming separate water stream that carries accumulated heat from the city’s buildings. This chilled water stream will be then pumped back to the Tabreed-run district cooling network at Masdar City. When completed, the project, will account for about 10% of Tabreed’s cooling needs, Adnoc said. Absorption chillers collect excess heat to drive a thermodynamic process that allows water to be chilled and distributed for heating, ventilation and air conditioning needs. Instead of conventional refrigerants, water is usually mixed with non-toxic lithium bromide to enable the evaporation and condensation cycle. These chillers do not need the electric compressors required for cooling systems with conventional refrigerants, and can provide significant cooling capacity to a facility without contributing to the peak electric demand, according to US based Energy Link. Air conditioning accounts for the majority of the UAE’s electricity consumption, Adnoc said. Leveraging geothermal heat for district cooling operations has the potential to significantly reduce electricity demand for cooling from the grid, helping to decarbonise one of the most energy intensive sectors in the region, the company added. “Geothermal heat is a clean and renewable source of energy abundantly available in the UAE and capable of providing baseload electricity. However, until now, it has remained an untapped source of energy”, Adnoc executive director for low carbon solutions and international growth Musabbeh Al Kaabi said. In January this year, Adnoc said it had allocated $15 billion to advance an array of energy transition projects by 2030 including clean power, carbon capture and storage, electrification of operations, energy efficiency and new measures to build on the company’s policy of zero routine gas flaring. The company has already moved forward in carbon capture and storage and carbon dioxide recovery projects this year. Read more Adnoc unveils $15 billion investment plan for decarbonising operations Adnoc sets up low-carbon solutions business Denmark postpones CO2 storage exercise to resolve state’s involvement Perenco secures UK licence to inject carbon dioxide into offshore fields Pilot Energy acquires proposed Australian offshore CCS project