Abu Dhabi to Push Carbon Underground

In an effort to reduce carbon emissions from industrial plants, Abu Dhabi is planning to create a $4 billion underground carbon sequestration system -- a system that is expected to be closely watched by government and industry.

1 minute read

January 30, 2008, 9:00 AM PST

By Nate Berg


"While countries around the world are wrestling with the daunting economics of carbon sequestration, Abu Dhabi is planning to invest up to $4-billion to capture as much as 15 million tonnes of CO{-2} annually from eight industrial plants, and then inject the gas underground to enhance oil recovery."

"Once injected, it is expected that the greenhouse gas will remain sequestered underground indefinitely."

"The effort is being spearheaded by Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co., a state-owned company that has been endowed with $15-billion to spend on carbon management programs, alternative power sources such as solar and energy-from-waste, and a model, zero-emission city that would be powered by renewables."

"Though other countries have individual carbon capture projects - including one run by EnCana Corp. in southern Saskatchewan that is the world's largest - none has moved beyond single, isolated endeavours. As a result, oil companies from around the world will be watching the effort to determine whether a carbon-capture network can be economically viable."

Tuesday, January 29, 2008 in The Globe and Mail

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