It is the ugly duckling of climate solutions. While renewable energy gathers green plaudits and nuclear power remains a major — if controversial — energy source, carbon capture and storage (CCS) has struggled to take flight.
But after years of gloom and frustration, delegates at the Global CCS Institute’s annual meeting in Abu Dhabi last week were finally optimistic. “CCS in the power sector is now a reality with the world’s first large-scale CCS project operating at Boundary Dam, Canada,” noted Brad Page, the institute’s chief executive. Another such project is nearing completion at Kemper County in Mississippi. China has dramatically stepped up its pace over the past year or so, while two projects in the UK — White Rose in Yorkshire and Peterhead in Scotland — are being designed.
Carbon capture and storage takes carbon dioxide — the main gas responsible for climate change — from power plants and industry, and disposes of it safely for the long term, either underground or in the form of stable minerals or useful products. Contrary to the views of its detractors, it is now a proven technology, but needs more experience to reduce costs and improve efficiency.
Carbon dioxide can be used in oilfields to strip out more oil. This enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is dramatically lower-carbon than traditional production, and the process can be tuned to maximise the amount of carbon captured.
Abu Dhabi also has a world-leading project. A joint venture between Masdar and Adnoc is constructing a system to collect 800,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually from the Emirates Steel plant in Mussafah and pipe it for EOR in fields near Ruwais. Starting from 2016, this will be the first application of CCS in the iron and steel sector.
Such carbon capture in industry is even more important than in power generation — electricity can be generated from renewables or nuclear power, but there is no known way to make iron or cement with solar and wind energy.
Successful deployment of CCS is essential to tackling climate change successfully. By 2020, projects around the world could be capturing about 90 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, equal to about a third of what the UAE emits. By 2035, CCS could save a monumental $1 trillion in the cost of reducing emissions from power generation.
Yet carbon capture is only just starting to receive the support in money and policies it requires — from an estimated $2tn spent on “clean” energy since 2004, just $20 billion has gone to CCS, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
It is an essential technology for the Arabian Gulf region in particular. Maturing oilfields will benefit from enhanced recovery. Abu Dhabi has to reinject a large part of its gas production to maintain pressure in the oilfields. Replacing this with carbon dioxide has a triple benefit — reducing emissions, liberating more oil and saving gas, which reduces expensive imports. Denmark's Maersk Oil is pioneering a technology, TriGen, which generates power efficiently from gas, yields carbon dioxide for EOR, and produces drinking-quality water.
Reducing the Gulf’s soaring greenhouse gas emissions is good for the environment — and also heads off the risk of political pressure or trade sanctions against heavy polluters.
And it creates “carbon space” for the region to produce its giant oil and gas reserves over the rest of this century — otherwise a large part of those hydrocarbons will have to be left aside for ever.
For these reasons, CCS is one of the key environmental technologies the Gulf must pursue to assure its long-term future. The Masdar and Adnoc teams deserve credit for their hard work on the Emirates Steel project — they and their other GCC counterparts need to keep up the momentum with further ventures. The ugly duckling of climate technologies may be about to become a swan.
Robin Mills is the head of consulting at Manaar Energy, and author of Capturing Carbon
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
BANGLADESH SQUAD
Mashrafe Mortaza (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim (wicketkeeper), Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan (vice captain), Mohammad Mithun, Sabbir Rahaman, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Jayed (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List
James Mustich, Workman
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Ads on social media can 'normalise' drugs
A UK report on youth social media habits commissioned by advocacy group Volteface found a quarter of young people were exposed to illegal drug dealers on social media.
The poll of 2,006 people aged 16-24 assessed their exposure to drug dealers online in a nationally representative survey.
Of those admitting to seeing drugs for sale online, 56 per cent saw them advertised on Snapchat, 55 per cent on Instagram and 47 per cent on Facebook.
Cannabis was the drug most pushed by online dealers, with 63 per cent of survey respondents claiming to have seen adverts on social media for the drug, followed by cocaine (26 per cent) and MDMA/ecstasy, with 24 per cent of people.
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final (first-leg score):
Juventus (1) v Ajax (1), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Match will be shown on BeIN Sports
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Karnataka Tuskers 110-5 (10 ovs)
Tharanga 48, Shafiq 34, Rampaul 2-16
Delhi Bulls 91-8 (10 ovs)
Mathews 31, Rimmington 3-28
Karnataka Tuskers win by 19 runs
THREE POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS
Khalfan Mubarak
The Al Jazira playmaker has for some time been tipped for stardom within UAE football, with Quique Sanchez Flores, his former manager at Al Ahli, once labelling him a “genius”. He was only 17. Now 23, Mubarak has developed into a crafty supplier of chances, evidenced by his seven assists in six league matches this season. Still to display his class at international level, though.
Rayan Yaslam
The Al Ain attacking midfielder has become a regular starter for his club in the past 15 months. Yaslam, 23, is a tidy and intelligent player, technically proficient with an eye for opening up defences. Developed while alongside Abdulrahman in the Al Ain first-team and has progressed well since manager Zoran Mamic’s arrival. However, made his UAE debut only last December.
Ismail Matar
The Al Wahda forward is revered by teammates and a key contributor to the squad. At 35, his best days are behind him, but Matar is incredibly experienced and an example to his colleagues. His ability to cope with tournament football is a concern, though, despite Matar beginning the season well. Not a like-for-like replacement, although the system could be adjusted to suit.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
