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Adnoc and Taqa begin offshore decarbonization project: Adnoc and the Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) have kicked off operations on their c.USD 3.8 bn decarbonization project aiming to deliver energy to Adnoc’s offshore operations and slash emissions, Wam reports. Italian multinational Prysmian Group has started laying a high-voltage, direct current (HVDC) subsea transmission system linking Adnoc’s offshore projects to the Abu Dhabi onshore power grid. Commercial operations of the electrification project will kick off in 2025 and a 50% carbon footprint reduction is expected, the statement notes.
Why is this important? Offshore platforms usually generate their own electricity through gas turbines or diesel generators — but replacing these onboard generating systems with power from the mainland transmitted through subsea cables can significantly reduce CO2 emissions. Because of their design, HVDC subsea cables are particularly effective in transmitting energy over long distances in an energy-efficient way.
More details: The HVDC system — which will require some 1k km cables bundled with fiber optics — will have a total capacity of 3.2 GW. The Italian firm plans to lay a 134 km line linking Mirfa on the western Abu Dhabi coastline to the Adnoc Zakum cluster during its initial four-month stay, before later returning to lay another 141 km HVDC line, the statement notes. Taqa’s wholly owned subsidiary Abu Dhabi Transmission and Despatch Company (TRANSCO) will be supplying the cleaner energy to the drilling sites, with the transmission project expected to offset up to half of Adnoc’s current carbon footprint once operations kick off in 2025 by switching out gas turbine generators.
Who’s footing the bill? The project — announced in 2021 — is funded through a special purpose vehicle jointly owned by Adnoc (30% share), Taqa (30%), and a consortium led by Korea Electric Power Corporation including Japan’s Kyushu Electric Power Co. and Électricité de France (40%).
Adnoc’s heavily investing in decarbonization: The company says it will expand its financing for decarbonization tech by USD 23 bn to achieve net zero by 2045, the statement notes.Back in 2022, Adnoc became the first major oil and gas company to offtake all its onshore grid power from solar and nuclear clean energy through a partnership with Emirates Water and Electricity Company (Ewec), the statement says, adding that its partnership with Ewec offset about 4 mn tonnes of greenhouse gas output in 2022.
