Major Alternative Energy Projects Happening in the Middle East

The Middle East, which once relied mostly on energy from Oil and Gas, is now increasingly investing in Renewable and Alternative Energies in a bid to diversify its economy and energy mix.

This has led the region to become a key player in the growth and promotion of Alternative Energy and in the wake of COP26, it's becoming ever clearer how important such initiatives are. So, here are some of the most important Alternative Energy projects happening in the region right now.

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Abu Dhabi CCS Phase 2 - UAE

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) is currently in the advanced development stage for its second CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage) plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The facility will capture between 1.9 and 2.3 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of CO2 from ADNOC's Shah Sour Gas Plant (potential to capture 2.3mtpa) and/or its Habshan-Bab gas processing plant (1.9mtpa) for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR). It's currently unclear whether the company will develop the project over the two locations or just one of them.

EOR, also known as tertiary recovery, refers to the process of extracting oil that has not already been retrieved through primary or secondary extraction methods. In this case, the captured CO2 is injected into a reservoir so that oil is better able to flow to a well, whilst the CO2 remains contained underground.

The first phase of the Abu Dhabi CCS Project, named Al Reyadah, captures 0.8 mtpa of CO2 from the Emirates Steel Industries steel plant in Mussafah, Abu Dhabi. It started operations in 2016 and was launched as a joint venture between ADNOC (51%) and Masdar (49%).

Ninety per cent of the CO2 coming from the steel plant is compressed, dehydrated, and then pumped through a 43km pipeline and then injected into the Rumaitha and Bab onshore oil fields operated by ADNOC for its onshore oil operations. The CO2 captured by Phase 2 will be injected in these same fields and operations are expected to start in 2025.

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Bee'ah Waste-To-Hydrogen Project - UAE

Bee'ah, a UAE-based waste-management company, is developing the country's first ever waste-to-hydrogen plant and hydrogen vehicle fuelling station, worth $180million. In partnership with the UK-based company Chinook Sciences, they are hoping start-up will be in 2023.

Using Chinook Sciences' RODECS technology, this facility will process non-recyclable plastic waste and waste wood to create green hydrogen. This hydrogen will then be used as fuel for the Middle Eastern company's fleet of hydrogen-powered waste-collection vehicles.

Construction of the plant is expected to start in 2022. The facility will be capable of producing 18,000 kg/day of hydrogen by processing 180,000 tons of waste every year. This will be enough to initially power about a hundred vehicles and the company has exciting plans ahead. As Khaled al-Huraimel, CEO of Bee'ah, said,

'We are exploring opportunities in different locations. We are looking at Egypt, we are looking at other emirates [in the UAE], and looking at Saudi in the future.'

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HYPORT Duqm Green Hydrogen Project - Oman

The HYPORT Duqm Project aims to develop a 250MW to 500MW green hydrogen facility in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm, Oman. In July 2019, German energy company Uniper announced that it would be joining the project, in partnership with HYPORT Duqm's shareholders, Belgian contractor DEME Concessions and Oman's OQ Alternative Energy, to provide engineering services and negotiate an exclusive offtake agreement of green ammonia.

The project secured its 150 km² renewable generation site earlier on in 2021. The area is currently being prepared for the deployment of a range of meteorological masts. These will evaluate Duqm's solar and wind conditions which will form the basis for the success of the green hydrogen to green ammonia project.

HYPORT Duqm will showcase the development of a complete green hydrogen value chain. Phase 1 of the project will involve the installation of up to 1.3GW of solar and wind power capacity, used to produce hydrogen through electrolysis, which will then be synthesised into green ammonia.

The facility is expected to become operational in 2026, whilst further expansions are envisaged to follow, ultimately transforming the Special Economic Zone into a Green Hydrogen hub for Oman and the Middle East.

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NEOM Green Ammonia Project - Saudi Arabia

In July 2020, NEOM, Air Products, and ACWA Power announced that they would be leading a $5 billion, 4GW green ammonia plant in Saudi Arabia, which is expected to be operational by 2025.

Air Products will be the exclusive off-taker for the project. The company plans on supplying green ammonia worldwide, cracking it back to carbon-free hydrogen at the point of use through hydrogen refuelling stations. Their focus will be on providing hydrogen for fuel cell trucks and buses.

The NEOM Green Ammonia Project will be one of the first projects to be built in the NEOM industrial hub, Saudi Arabia's vision of the first cognitive and smart city, a futuristic model for sustainable living.

According to a NEOM announcement, the project is

'based on proven, world-class technology and will include the innovative integration of over four gigawatts of renewable power from solar, wind and storage; production of 650 tons per day of hydrogen by electrolysis usingthyssenkrupp technology; production of nitrogen by air separation using Air Products technology; and production of 1.2 million tons per year of green ammonia usingHaldor Topsoe technology.'

It's estimated that the project will save the planet more than 3 million tons of carbon dioxide every year and eliminate smog-forming emissions and other pollutants equivalent to more than 700,000 vehicles.

NEOM is a key part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030, a plan to diversify the country's economy and limit its reliance on oil income.

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North Field East Carbon Capture Project - Qatar

In February 2021, Final Investment Decision (FID) was reached by Qatar Gas for its US$29 billion North Field East LNG Liquefaction Project (NFE). The North Field East Project will be the world's biggest LNG project.

A CCS facility will be included as part of the project to capture its CO2 emissions. This facility will be the largest of its kind within the LNG industry and will be part of a CCS cluster in Ras Laffan in Qatar.

Energy for the CCS facility will be provided by an 800 MW solar power plant currently under construction nearby. The CCS facility is expected to reduce the carbon emissions from the LNG project by about 25% under comparable operations across the world. It's planned to have a capacity of 2.1 million tons of CO2 per year.

Equipping the NFE project with a CCS facility comes as part of Qatar Gas's sustainability pledge that it made in January 2021 for its upstream and downstream operations.

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Supporting the Alternative Energy industry

NES Fircroft has extensive experience with the energy industry, spanning more than 50 years. During that time, we've supported thousands of innovative and cutting-edge projects as they powered the progression of the energy industry.

We understand that the industry is evolving, and the new generation of engineers need to be mobile, innovative, technology-focused and work across an organisation to ensure that knowledge is shared, and competitive advantage is gained.

The energy landscape of today is decarbonising, with once deemed "futuristic solutions" now becoming mainstream use. We will support your business through this energy transition.

If you are looking for an opportunity within Alternative Energy, check out our latest opportunities.

Need any help with your next Alternative Energy project? Find out how we can help you and get in touch.

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