Cinderella is forced to sit by the fire and mind the coals. Carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS) has not even got that far, let alone attending the ball. But now this unloved but vital technology is in demand at not one, but three parties.
Carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas, responsible for increasingly dangerous levels of global warming. CCUS traps the CO2 emitted from burning coal, gas, oil or wood, or from industrial processes. It then buries it deep underground safely and permanently, or recycles it to make useful materials, such as cement, or stable minerals.
CCUS facilities operating around the world, such as the Emirates Steel plant in Abu Dhabi, have capacity for about 40 million tonnes annually, or about one-thousandth of humanity’s total emissions. The International Energy Agency says this needs to reach 1.7 billion tonnes as soon as 2030 and 5.7 billion tonnes by 2050. For context, the time between now and 2050 is about the same as from the start-up of Sleipner in Norway in 1996, the world’s first full-scale carbon dioxide storage project, to today.
Carbon capture is often dismissed as unnecessary, unproven or risky by environmentalists. But it is crucial for three reasons.
First, unlike renewable energy — green groups’ favourite climate solution — CCUS cuts industrial emissions such as those from cement-making or steel manufacture.
Second, instead of throwing away the current energy system, it adapts it. It has become increasingly apparent that the wholesale replacement of a bicentennial fossil-fuelled economy with solar, wind and batteries is not possible at the required pace — whether logistically, economically, socially or politically.
Third, monoenergetic plans have proved themselves expensive and unreliable. That is, an energy system founded either on a fossil fuel, nuclear power, or renewable energy, is vulnerable to commodity supply shocks, technical breakdowns or weather. War, drought, ice storms and reactor repairs have proved that amply across California, Texas, Europe and China during the past two years.
Even if CCUS might appear more costly on a simplistic head-to-head comparison with solar or wind, it adds predictability, diversity and flexibility, making the whole energy complex cheaper and more resilient.
In 2017, CCUS’s recent low point, fewer than 50 facilities were operating or under development worldwide. That leapt last year to nearly 200. Exciting new technologies that will reduce the cost of capture are emerging. As plants are built, developers will gain experience to accelerate further progress.
Most of the advance, though, has come from rethinking the business model. Instead of painstakingly developing individual projects of less than one million tonnes per year each, national and local governments are working together with energy companies, industries and ports to assemble carbon hubs. Governments have begun auctioning underground carbon dioxide storage space, with oil companies and specialists attracted to a valuable new business line.
Often these hubs can be combined with the “hydrogen valleys” of European terminology: the production of “blue” hydrogen from fossil fuels requires carbon capture, and hydrogen-using industries such as fertilisers, steel and refineries cluster around ports.
So, which three parties have invited our Cinderella, and why? First, in North America, the US has introduced a tax credit of $85 per tonne of carbon dioxide captured. To bring on board Senate swing voter and coal baron Joe Manchin, from the fossil-friendly state of West Virginia, President Joe Biden had to offer generous incentives for CCUS, among a smorgasbord of other low-carbon technologies.
Meanwhile, fossil fuel powerhouse Canada has a carbon price of C$50 (US$37) per tonne, rising to C$170 per tonne by 2030. The high-emitting oil sands of Alberta, in particular, need CCUS to survive in a climate-friendly world.
Second, in Europe, the cost to emit carbon dioxide hit a record €99 (US$99) per tonne in mid-August, before slipping back. Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and the UK have advanced a number of hubs and cross-border capture systems. CCUS can extract maximum value from the remaining petroleum assets in the North Sea.
Carbon capture also offers a solution to Europe’s dilemma: it needs more non-Russian oil, gas and even coal today, but it cannot give the exporters the long-term commitments they want because of its net-zero carbon goals. Converting power plants and factories to ultra-low emissions can resolve this conundrum.
Third comes the Middle East. The UAE’s latest emissions reductions plan includes 5 million tonnes of capture annually by 2030. Qatar will use CCUS to cut the carbon footprint of its new liquefied natural gas plants. Saudi Arabia is developing a 5-9 million tonne per year hub at Jubail, and Egypt has begun exploring its options as it prepares to host the Cop27 climate conference in November.
The motive in this region is the need to ensure the long-term viability of the oil, gas and petrochemical industry in a world of increasing climate urgency. Europe is flirting with fossil fuels again because of the unwelcome attentions of Russia, but from 2026 it will phase in a tariff on imports with a high carbon footprint. Gulf makers of steel, aluminium, plastics, fertilisers and other such materials need to decarbonise to retain access to markets.
Despite this progress, carbon capture needs to go much faster. Environmental groups should move from scepticism and obstructionism to sensible support. The Middle East, and other regions with low or no direct incentives for carbon capture, such as China and India, need explicit policy. Then this fairy-tale technology can emerge from neglect to stardom.
Robin M. Mills is CEO of Qamar Energy, and author of The Myth of the Oil Crisis
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
The figures behind the event
1) More than 300 in-house cleaning crew
2) 165 staff assigned to sanitise public areas throughout the show
3) 1,000 social distancing stickers
4) 809 hand sanitiser dispensers placed throughout the venue
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- Sri Lanka: Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan (rumoured)
- Bangladesh (Mashrafe Mortaza)
'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
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if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE SQUAD
Khalid Essa (Al Ain), Ali Khaseif (Al Jazira), Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah), Mahmoud Khamis (Al Nasr), Yousef Jaber (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai), Khalifa Al Hammadi (Jazira), Salem Rashid (Jazira), Shaheen Abdelrahman (Sharjah), Faris Juma (Al Wahda), Mohammed Shaker (Al Ain), Mohammed Barghash (Wahda), Abdulaziz Haikal (Shabab Al Ahli), Ahmed Barman (Al Ain), Khamis Esmail (Wahda), Khaled Bawazir (Sharjah), Majed Surour (Sharjah), Abdullah Ramadan (Jazira), Mohammed Al Attas (Jazira), Fabio De Lima (Al Wasl), Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Khalfan Mubarak (Jazira), Habib Fardan (Nasr), Khalil Ibrahim (Wahda), Ali Mabkhout (Jazira), Ali Saleh (Wasl), Caio (Al Ain), Sebastian Tagliabue (Nasr).
