Adnoc and Baker Hughes team up for hydrogen technology



Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and US-based services giant Baker Hughes have signed an agreement to accelerate the development and commercialisation of emerging technologies for the green and low-carbon hydrogen markets.

The United Arab Emirates giant earlier this year unveiled a $15 billion investment plan as it steps up its drive to decarbonise its operations.

Adnoc said on Wednesday that the agreement with Baker Hughes was signed at the UAE Climate Tech conference in Abu Dhabi builds on its “$15 billion commitment towards decarbonisation projects by 2030”.

“Within the agreement, Adnoc will leverage Baker Hughes’ extensive hydrogen expertise and broad portfolio to test and develop solutions to produce low-cost green hydrogen and graphene at scale, helping to decarbonise operations,” it stated.

Adnoc said the new agreement will see it collaborate with Baker Hughes as a strategic partner “to study and pilot the deployment of innovative solutions from Baker Hughes’ hydrogen portfolio”.

“These include new growth stage decarbonisation technologies Baker Hughes has invested in across the graphene, methane pyrolysis and next-generation electrolysis spaces,” it noted.

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Emerging technologies

The collaboration between the two companies “will include exploring the application of three emerging technologies” being pioneered by the US player, Adnoc said.

This includes piloting an electrolyser technology from Nemesys, to explore the possibility of installing and operating an electrolyser at the Adnoc Research & Innovation Center (ADIRC) in Abu Dhabi, and field testing methane plasma technology from Levidian to capture carbon in the form of high-quality graphene and hydrogen in Adnoc Gas’ facilities.

It also includes “testing the use of Ekona Power’s growth stage methane pyrolysis technology” to produce low-greenhouse gas intensity hydrogen, Adnoc added.

Musabbeh Al Kaabi, executive director of Adnoc’s low-carbon solutions directorate, said the Adnoc group is “proactively pursuing a strategy to accelerate the production and deployment of low-carbon and renewable hydrogen”.

“We look forward to working in partnership with Baker Hughes, and its venture companies, as part of our continuing journey to transform, decarbonise, and future-proof the way we provide energy to the world,” he said.

Adnoc in January said its energy transition investment plan follows its “low-carbon growth strategy” and the approval of its “net-zero by 2050 ambition” by the company’s board.

Baker Hughes chief executive Lorenzo Simonelli said the collaboration with Adnoc “is crucial to supporting and accelerating the growth of low carbon energy sources”.

In addition to the recent deal with Baker Hughes, Adnoc recently signed two key agreements with Japanese players to strengthen the low-carbon hydrogen value chain between the UAE and Japan.

The first agreement, with Kawasaki, aims to explore the production, liquefaction and transportation of hydrogen to key global markets.

The second, with the Japan Organisation for Metals & Energy Security, Mitsui, Inpex and the Clean Fuel Ammonia Association, aims at clean certification for Adnoc’s low-carbon ammonia projects, it stated.

Energy transition projects

Middle East oil and gas giants are spending billions of dollars to scale up their hydrocarbon production capacities, while also preparing to invest heavily in energy transition initiatives, primarily led by hydrogen and CCS projects.

Adnoc said that, throughout this year, it will announce “a suite of new projects and initiatives, including a first-of-its-kind CCS project, innovative carbon removal technologies, investment in new, cleaner energy solutions and strengthening of international partnerships”.

It said the measures represent “tangible and concrete action as the company reduces its carbon intensity by 25% by 2030 and moves towards its net zero by 2050 ambition”.

The company last year said that it has set up a new business — Low Carbon Solutions & International Growth — in line with its ambition to achieve net-zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2050.

As a part of its low-carbon initiatives, the company recently set a new upstream methane intensity target of 0.15% by 2025.