Environment

ADNOC Lays Out Comprehensive 2030 Sustainability Goals

The company said its goals underscore its strong environmental, social, and governance performance as it responds to rising global energy demand. In addition, it said, the goals are aligned with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

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Mangroves flourish on Reem Island off the coast of Abu Dhabi.
Credit: Getty Images.

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) announced a set of comprehensive sustainability goals at the opening ceremony of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week on 11 January.

The company said the goals support its vision to become the best in class in sustainability and to maximize value for the United Arab Emirates. ADNOC said the goals also underscore its strong environmental, social, and governance performance as it responds to rising global energy demand and delivers its 2030 growth strategy. In addition, it said, the goals are aligned with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals on responsible consumption and production, climate action, protecting biodiversity, and enhancing economic opportunity.

Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE’s minister of state and chief executive officer of ADNOC Group, said, “ADNOC’s sustainability goals further demonstrate our commitment to responsible production, which has been embedded in our business practices since the company was established in 1971. This commitment flows from the vision of the founding father of the United Arab Emirates, His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who pioneered sustainability and the protection of the country’s natural ecosystems.”

As part of its sustainability goals, ADNOC said it plans to decrease its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity by 25% by 2030, strengthening its position as one of the least carbon-intensive oil and gas companies. According to the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers, ADNOC is one of the top five lowest GHG emitters in the industry and has one of the lowest methane intensities, at 0.01%.

ADNOC said it also commits to limiting its freshwater consumption ratio to below 0.5% of its total water use. Currently, more than 99% of the water ADNOC uses for cooling purposes is extracted seawater, which is discharged back to the sea after undergoing treatment to ensure compliance with the company’s discharge standards.

In addition, ADNOC said it will continue to protect and support biodiversity across its operations and the broader local environment. As part of this commitment, ADNOC said it plans to plant 10 million mangrove seedlings in Al Dhafra region in the emirate of Abu Dhabi by the end of 2022.

Mangroves have enormous capacity to absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases, trapping them in flooded soils. Mangroves support biodiversity by providing a habitat for marine life and act as a natural defense against rising sea levels and coastal erosion. ADNOC has also built 293 artificial coral reefs to protect marine life and maintain ocean health. 

To enable ADNOC’s goal to reduce its GHG intensity by 25%, ADNOC is building on the success of the region’s first commercial-scale carbon capture, utilization, and storage facility. 

Currently, Al Reyadah facility has the capacity to capture 800,000 tonnes of CO2 annually. ADNOC said it plans to expand the capacity of this program six-fold by capturing CO2 from its own gas plants, with the aim of reaching 5 million tonnes of CO2 every year by 2030. That is the equivalent of the annual carbon capture capacity of more than 5 million acres of forest, or a forest more than twice the size of the UAE.

One of the key success factors of ADNOC’s high environmental performance has been its longstanding policy of zero intentional flaring, which has reduced the volume of natural gas flared by more than 90% since the inception of the company. 

Environmental protection is a key pillar of ADNOC’s Oil and Gas 4.0 mission to modernize and remain an essential pillar of a future diversified energy mix. The company said it prioritizes investments in state-of-the-art technology to monitor and reduce environmental impacts of its operations.

“We are taking a comprehensive and holistic approach to our sustainability strategy in terms of our contribution to the economy, the environment, and our most important asset, our people,” Al Jaber said. “We are strengthening our environmental performance as we expand our operations to ensure we can deliver more energy with fewer emissions for decades to come.”