Adnoc has signed a preliminary agreement with the engineering unit of Germany's Thyssenkrupp to create new markets for hydrogen and explore the development of projects for large-scale ammonia cracking.
As part of the deal, signed at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, Adnoc and Thyssenkrupp Uhde will work together to develop commercial-scale ammonia cracking plants, which are used to extract hydrogen from ammonia after transportation.
The two companies will also explore opportunities in the clean energy value chain for the supply and shipment of low-carbon or green ammonia from the UAE to large-scale ammonia cracking facilities globally, Adnoc said in a statement on Tuesday.
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2023 — in pictures
-
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, unveils the Cop28 logo with President-designate Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Victor Besa / The National -
The Masdar display at the event. Victor Besa / The National -
The Mohamed Bin Zayed University stall. Victor Besa / The National -
Visitors walk past the Masdar stall. Victor Besa / The National -
The Adnoc display. Victor Besa / The National -
The National signage on display at the event. Victor Besa / The National -
The government of Fujairah's stall. Victor Besa / The National -
The Abu Dhabi Department of Energy's display. Victor Besa / The National -
Another view of the Adnoc stand. Victor Besa / The National -
Another view of the Masdar display. Victor Besa / The National -
Visitors at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Victor Besa / The National -
Day two of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week aims to accelerate sustainable development and advance economic, social and environmental progress. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
The Envision stand at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Masdar's stand at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
The Tadweer stand. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
The event brings together heads of state, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, investors and senior policymakers. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
A solar energy diorama on Day 2 of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week at Adnec in Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week plays host to some very big names in international business, including Huawei of China. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Saeed Al Tayer, managing director and chief executive of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, delivers a speech. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Mahmoud Mohieldin, executive director of the IMF, left, in discussion on Day 2 of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week at Adnec in Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Visitors at the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority stand at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in Adnec, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Awaidha Al Marar of the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, an Abu Dhabi Executive Council Member and Member of Enec's board of directors, delivers opening remarks on Net-Zero Ambitions in Energy on Day 2 of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week at Adnec. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) stand at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in Adnec, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
The Aldar stand at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in Adnec, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
The Bee'ah stand at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in Adnec, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, and Ahmed El Hoshy, chief executive of Fertiglobe, right, in a panel discussion titled A Manifesto for Food Systems at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in Adnec, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Sharif Al Olama, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, delivers a speech promoting solar power at the opening of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Laurent Fabius (2nd L), president of the constitutional council of France, speaks to guests at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. Photo: Presidential Court -
President Sheikh Mohamed speaks to John Kerry, US presidential envoy for climate, at a reception before the opening ceremony. Photo: Presidential Court -
President Sheikh Mohamed meets Hakainde Hichilema, President of Zambia. Photo: Presidential Court -
President Sheikh Mohamed meets Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana. Photo: Presidential Court -
Dr Sultan Al Jaber, right, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Group, chief executive of Adnoc and chairman of Masdar, receives Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy. Photo: Presidential Court -
President Sheikh Mohamed greets Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan. Photo: Presidential Court -
President Sheikh Mohamed stands for a photograph with heads of state and government. (Front row: R-L) presidents Surangel Whipps Jr of Palau, Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan, Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea, Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Joao Lourenco of Angola, Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique and Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia. (Back row: R-L) Aziz Akhannouch, Prime Minister of Morocco, Wavil Ramkalawan, President of Seychelles, Hakainde Hichilema, President of Zambia, Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda, Tiemoko Meyliet Kone, Vice President of Ivory Coast and Dr Sultan Al Jaber. Photo: Presidential Court -
President Sheikh Mohamed greets a guest. Photo: Presidential Court -
Dr Al Jaber with Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan. Photo: Presidential Court -
President Sheikh Mohamed greets Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia. Photo: Presidential Court -
(Back row L-R) Siaosi Sovaleni, Prime Minister of Tonga, Aziz Akhannouch, Prime Minister of Morocco, Wavil Ramkalawan, President of Seychelles, Hakainde Hichilema, President of Zambia, Surangel Whipps Jr, President of Palau, Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan, Yoon Suk Yeol, President of South Korea, President Sheikh Mohamed, Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, Joao Lourenco, President of Angola, Filipe Nyusi, President of Mozambique, Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, former president of Iceland and chairman of Arctic Circle, Tiemoko Meyliet Kone, Vice President of Ivory Coast, and Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology. Photo: Presidential Court -
President Sheikh Mohamed presents the 2023 Zayed Sustainability Prize for East Asia & Pacific Global High Schools to a representative from Kamil Muslim College, Fiji. Photo: Presidential Court -
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan (L), and President Sheikh Mohamed present the 2023 Zayed Sustainability Prize for Americas Global High Schools, to a representative from Fundacion Bios Terrae in Colombia. Photo: Presidential Court -
(L-R) Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Kim Keon Hee, first lady of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, President of South Korea, President Sheikh Mohamed, Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court, Joao Lourenco, President of Angola and Ana Dias Lourenco, first lady of Angola. Photo: Presidential Court -
Guests stand for the national anthem during the opening ceremony of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Photo: Presidential Court -
Children sing the UAE national anthem . Photo: Presidential Court -
Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Cop28 President-designate and the UAE's special envoy on climate change, speaks at the opening of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Mr Yoon, a keynote speaker at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
US climate envoy John Kerry, centre. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
From left, Phillip Cornell, senior fellow of Atlantic Council Global Energy Centre; Christian Bruch, president and chief executive officer of Siemens Energy; Lorenzo Simonelli, chairman, president and chief executive of Baker Hughes; and Marisa Drew, chief sustainability officer of Standard Chartered. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
“Adnoc's fast-growing hydrogen business is enabled by the UAE’s abundant and competitive energy reserves,” said Musabbeh Al Kaabi, executive director, low carbon solutions and international growth directorate, at Adnoc.
“We are committed to strengthening our position as a reliable supplier of lower carbon-intensive energy, creating new revenue streams and growing the global market for hydrogen.”
Hydrogen, which can be produced using renewable energy and natural gas, is expected to play a key role in the coming years as economies and industries transition to a low-carbon world to mitigate climate change.
Globally, the hydrogen industry is expected to be worth $183 billion this year, up from $129 billion in 2017, according to Fitch Solutions.
French investment bank Natixis estimates that investment in hydrogen will exceed $300 billion by 2030.
The UAE, which is investing heavily in the industry, aims to be among the top 10 hydrogen-producing countries globally, a Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure official said on Monday.
Sharif Al Olama, the Ministry's Undersecretary for Energy and Petroleum Affairs, told Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week that the country had taken “great strides” in developing clean hydrogen technologies to reduce the cost of hydrogen as a sustainable source of energy.
“We in the UAE aim to capture 25 per cent of the low carbon hydrogen key markets and aspire to be one of the top 10 hydrogen-producing countries in the world within this decade,” said Mr Al Olama.
“Global hydrogen demand is seen rising to over 600 million metric tonnes a year by the year 2050, which represents 12 per cent of the total global energy demand.”
Adnoc, which is investing in green hydrogen through Masdar, has expanded its strategic energy partnerships across the hydrogen value chain.
In September last year, it shipped its first-ever demonstration cargo of low-carbon ammonia to Germany.
Ammonia is a carrier of hydrogen and it is much easier to compress and transport.
When shipped, after arriving at its destination, the ammonia needs to be decomposed, or cracked into hydrogen, before use in the energy value chain.
Adnoc has already invested in low-carbon ammonia, whereby the carbon dioxide emitted during production is captured and stored underground.
In May last year, the company announced a 1 million tonnes per year low-carbon ammonia production plant at the Ta'ziz industrial ecosystem and chemicals hub.
Under the latest deal, Adnoc will explore using the ammonia cracking process based on Thyssenkrupp Uhde's reformer technology, which is applied in more than 130 large-scale chemical plants across the world.
“Countries in Europe, along with many others, are looking to clean hydrogen imports to decarbonise industry and society,” Cord Landsmann, chief executive of Thyssenkrupp Uhde, said.
“Clean ammonia is the best way to transport hydrogen by ship, and together with Adnoc, we will deliver the last piece of the puzzle for global clean hydrogen trade at large scale.”
