Salem bin Ashoor, bp’s chief representative and general manager in the UAE, talks to The Energy Year about how the company is positioning itself at the forefront of energy trends in the UAE and globally and its plans for clean hydrogen hubs and CCUS. bp has been active in the UAE since the 1930s. Today, Abu Dhabi is an important hub for the company’s provision of integrated energy services.
Tell us about your decarbonising venture involving hydrogen production, CCUS and mobility.
In mid-2022, bp took a major step in strengthening its strategic partnership with ADNOC and Masdar, bringing international participation to its planned blue and green hydrogen developments in Teesside, in the northeast of England. ADNOC has taken a 25% stake in the design stage of our blue hydrogen project H2 Teesside, which is expected to kick-start the UK’s hydrogen economy at scale, with the development of two 500-MW hydrogen production units by 2030.
As part of this agreement, bp, ADNOC and Masdar joined forces to explore the development of clean hydrogen hubs in both the UAE and UK at an initial scale of 2 GW, comprising 1 GW in the UAE and 1 GW in the UK. Under this agreement, ADNOC and bp will also jointly identify areas for potential partnership in greenfield carbon capture and underground storage and best-in-class methane detection platforms.
CCUS is critical for decarbonisation and has been built at commercial scale in the UK and UAE at the Teesside and Al Reyadah facilities, respectively. With this framework agreement, we look forward to expanding our shared leadership in CCUS technology to explore pilot opportunities for further industrial-scale carbon capture within the UAE.
Lastly, along with Masdar we are now exploring opportunities to develop sustainable energy and mobility solutions. To this end, we have joined with Abu Dhabi Waste Management Centre (Tadweer) and Etihad Airways to look into the production of sustainable aviation fuels, from both hydrogen and municipal waste gasification. With it we intend to pioneer decarbonised air corridors between the UK and UAE – one of the busiest global air travel routes.
How involved is bp in the UAE’s Bab field and how is it contributing to reversing declining flows?
bp has a 10% interest in ADNOC Onshore and is the asset lead of the Bab field, which is the most complex onshore oilfield in Abu Dhabi, as well as the oldest operating field in the UAE. Due to depleting oil flows, the field has been undergoing constant upgrades as a strategy to enhance production and sustain long-term production capacity.
bp has a standalone entity called bpX focused on unconventional reservoirs, which is mainly the development of very tight reservoirs (with very low permeability). Its operations involve the implementation of advanced hydraulic fracturing technology. We are leveraging this expertise and these technologies to apply them here, helping ADNOC Onshore enhance its production. Currently, ADNOC Onshore has a sustained production of around 2 million bopd across its diverse plays, which corresponds to a 200,000-bopd share for bp.
In what ways is bp fostering local content, entrepreneurship and talent?
We are directly involved in ADNOC Onshore and ADNOC LNG, with 10% respectively, and they make a substantial contribution to the country’s economy and wellbeing. In addition to this, along with Masdar, we created The Catalyst, which is the first technology start-up accelerator that focuses on sustainability and clean technology. With its base in Masdar City, the company contributes to fostering a robust R&D ecosystem, promotes innovation and entrepreneurship and generates social impact via local innovation.
Also, over the years we have worked hand in hand with the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi on the so-called Sustainable Schools Initiative, which aims to build environmental awareness in schools, allowing youth to learn ways to reduce their ecological footprint while creating a sense of ownership and responsibility for the future by addressing their own environmental impact – in Abu Dhabi, especially – around the areas of sustainability and environmental education.
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