TotalEnergies joins Masdar and Siemens Energy in initiative to drive green hydrogen development and produce sustainable aviation fuel’

by with No Comment News

Masdar, one of the world’s leading renewable energy companies, announced that TotalEnergies is adding its expertise in the energy sector to a Masdar-led initiative focused on green hydrogen to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). 

Senior executives from Masdar, Siemens Energy and TotalEnergies signed a collaboration agreement on the sidelines of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) 2022, to act as co-developers for a demonstrator plant project, which will be established at Masdar City, Abu Dhabi’s flagship sustainable urban development. The agreement was signed by Francois Good, Senior Vice President, Refining and Petrochemicals Africa Middle East and Asia at TotalEnergies, Dietmar Siersdorfer, Managing Director Middle East and UAE, Siemens Energy, and Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar.

Francois Good, Senior Vice President, Refining and Petrochemicals Africa Middle East and Asia at TotalEnergies, said, “We are very pleased to partner with Masdar and Siemens Energy to meet the challenge of decarbonizing air transport through sustainable aviation fuel from green hydrogen. In this project, TotalEnergies brings its expertise in renewables energy as well as SAF manufacturing and marketing advanced sustainable fuel production with the aim of acting directly on the carbon intensity of the energy products used by our customers. This is in-line with our strategy of building a multi-energy company with the ambition to get to net zero by 2050 together with society.” 

Dietmar Siersdorfer, Managing Director Middle East and UAE, Siemens Energy, said, “Green hydrogen has a vital role to play in the decarbonization of many industries, with the aviation sector presenting an excellent opportunity. With deep expertise in  electrolyzers and plant integration we understand that collaboration is vital to success. We’re excited to have a longstanding and strong partner such as TotalEnergies bring its expertise to help accelerate this landmark project.” 

Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar, said, “Today’s signing and the participation of TotalEnergies as a co-developer represents a significant step forward for this exciting project. The demonstrator plant will help to establish the commercial viability of green hydrogen as an essential decarbonized fuel of the future, and will support Abu Dhabi’s development as a green hydrogen hub. While the hydrogen market is still at a comparatively early stage, we firmly believe that by working together with international partners on projects such as this, we can help the hydrogen market develop its full potential and it will really take off in the years to come.” 

Masdar announced ahead of ADSW 2021 last year that it was collaborating with Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, Etihad Airways, Lufthansa Group, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Siemens Energy, and Marubeni Corporation on the demonstrator plant initiative. Having joined the initiative, the aim now is that TotalEnergies will offer its expertise in SAF production, offtake and supply the partner airlines . 

Since January 2021, the partners in the initiative have completed a range of evaluations on technology suppliers, feasibility studies and conceptual designs, while working closely with regulators on compliance issues. The aim is to proceed to the front end engineering design (FEED) stage later this year. 

By leveraging their respective areas of expertise across the energy spectrum, and their local and global market reach, the co-developers believe that the demonstrator project can pave the way to commercial production of SAF, helping to reduce production costs and making it commercially viable. 

Source: Masdar

ADNOC, bp and Masdar agree to expand UAE-UK new energy partnership

by with No Comment News

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), bp and Masdar announced the signing of strategic framework agreements to expand upon the UAE and UK’s longstanding track record of bilateral partnership in sustainability, including the potential development of clean hydrogen hubs in both the UK and UAE at a scale of at least 2 gigawatts (GW).


The agreements underscore the partners’ leadership in technology-driven solutions to the global climate challenge as well as a shared commitment to driving new economic opportunity through decarbonization, both domestically and abroad.

The signing of the framework agreements took place on the sidelines of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, official visit to the UK. The agreements were signed by His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, and Masdar Chairman, and Bernard Looney, bp Chief Executive Officer.

Commenting on the agreements, H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber said: “The UK and UAE have enjoyed decades of strong economic ties and the agreements signed between ADNOC, Masdar and bp will serve to deepen the strategic relationship between our countries. We look forward to building upon this legacy to strengthen both countries’ ambitions to generate economic growth through low-carbon initiatives. These initiatives will make a direct contribution to the ‘Principles of the 50,’ the economic blueprint for sustainable growth recently announced by the UAE’s leadership.”  
Bernard Looney, bp’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “The UK and UAE governments have bold plans for decarbonization. The UK is our home and we have worked in the UAE for nearly a century. By partnering with the visionary leaders of ADNOC and Masdar, we see massive business opportunity to generate the clean energy the world wants and needs – and at the same time revitalize local economies and create the jobs of the future.” 

Under the terms of the agreements, ADNOC, bp and Masdar will seek to collaborate on UK and UAE clean hydrogen hub development at an initial scale of 1GW in the UAE and 1GW in the UK, building on the UAE’s position as an anchor investor in some of the UK’s largest offshore wind projects. The hydrogen agreements also align with the UK’s recently announced commitment to achieve 5GW of low-carbon hydrogen by 2030 and the UAE’s Nationally Determined Contribution of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 23.5% compared to business as usual for the year 2030. 

ADNOC and bp will also, as part of the agreements, jointly identify areas for potential partnership in greenfield carbon capture and underground storage and best-in-class methane detection platforms. Further, Masdar and bp will together explore opportunities to develop, build and operate sustainable energy and mobility solutions in urban population centers. 

The partners’ shared interest in developing new opportunities for clean hydrogen development capitalizes on the UK and UAE’s highly complementary infrastructure and resource positions. With abundant renewable energy sources and proximity to significant future demand centers for hydrogen and its carrier fuels, the partners’ commitments can help to ensure the UK and UAE are well positioned to become regional leaders in the new hydrogen economy and support both countries’ ambitious climate targets. 

CCUS, an equally critical component of the world’s decarbonization toolkit, has been built successfully at commercial scale in the UK and UAE through the Teesside and Al Reyadah facilities, respectively. With the framework agreement, the two partners look forward to expanding their shared leadership in CCUS technology to explore pilot opportunities for further industrial-scale carbon capture within the UAE.

While the UAE has long maintained a zero-routine flaring policy, the partners’ potential collaboration on new methane detection technologies will help to further maximize the impact of both countries’ decarbonization strategies. Methane, at more than eighty times the potency of CO2, remains at the top of GHG mitigation agendas, necessitating the partners’ shared pursuit of cutting-edge monitoring and analysis platforms. 

Similarly, ADNOC and bp’s joint smart decision center initiative will support possible development and deployment of remote digital capabilities to transform both companies’ performance management and operational support, including in the area of energy efficiency.

Masdar and bp will also explore potential opportunities to together develop, build and operate energy and mobility services in urban spaces internationally, including energy efficiency, distributed renewables generation and energy storage, among others.

The initiatives envisaged by the strategic framework agreements would be subject to relevant regulatory approvals. 

Source: ADNOC

Taqa project

EWEC Announces Partners to Develop the World’s Largest Solar Power Plant

by with No Comment News

The Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC), a leading company in the coordination of planning, purchasing and providing of water and electricity across the UAE, announced the award for the world’s largest solar power plant. The project was awarded to a consortium led by Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA) and Masdar, with partners EDF and JinkoPower, for the development of the 2 GW Al Dhafra Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Independent Power Producer (IPP) project, which will be located approximately 35 kilometers from Abu Dhabi city. The project’s power purchase agreement (PPA) and shareholders’ agreement were signed with EWEC.

The rigorous procurement process resulted in one of the most cost-competitive tariffs for solar PV energy, set at AED 4.97 fils/kWh (USD 1.35 cents/kWh) on a levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) basis. Upon full commercial operation, the plant is expected to reduce Abu Dhabi’s CO2 emissions by more than 2.4 million metric tonnes per year, equivalent to removing approximately 470,000 cars from the road.

Speaking about the milestone, Othman Al Ali, Chief Executive Officer of EWEC, said: “We are delighted to work with our partners and sign a PPA with a record-low tariff for solar power. We are working to secure long-term energy supply and reinforce solar power’s integral role in meeting current and future energy needs. Combined with key technological advances, the Al Dhafra Solar PV project will have a significant impact on diversifying the approach to our current electricity supply, and drive our strategic plan to further contribute towards the sector’s transformation in water and electricity production, as we develop a low-carbon grid in the UAE.”

Jasim Husain Thabet, Group CEO and Managing Director at ‎TAQA, said: “The Al Dhafra Solar PV plant is a benchmark project for our nation and the global energy sector. The project’s low tariff and utilisation of best-in-class technology further demonstrate the feasibility of utility-scale renewable energy projects that are accelerating our nation’s progress on meeting the ambitious energy objectives outlined in the UAE Energy Strategy 2050. Once fully operational, the plant will increase Abu Dhabi’s solar power capacity to approximately 3.2 GW.”

The Al Dhafra Solar PV project is expected to provide approximately 160,000 households across the UAE with electricity. It will be larger than TAQA’s existing 1.2 GW ‘Noor Abu Dhabi’ solar plant, which is currently the world’s largest operational single-project solar PV plant.

Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar, said: “Through the award of the Al Dhafra project, the UAE is affirming once again its determination to lead the global transition to cleaner energy sources, deploying the latest advances in solar power technology at tremendous scale cost efficiently. At Masdar, we are honoured to join EWEC, TAQA, EDF, JinkoPower, and the many other prestigious partners involved in this outstanding project. We are excited to be working with them to realise the world’s largest single-site solar power plant in Abu Dhabi, building on our existing portfolio of world-class projects in the UAE, including Shams in Madinat Zayed in Abu Dhabi, and the third phase of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai.”

Bruno Bensasson, EDF Group Senior Executive Vice-President Renewable Energies and Chief Executive Officer of EDF Renewables, said: “EDF has a strong and close relationship with the UAE, providing the country with cutting-edge technology and supporting its energy policies for the long term. With this new project, we are honoured and delighted to be able to continue this strategic partnership. For EDF, the signing of the PPA for Al Dhafra Solar PV is a testimony of the confidence that the government and EWEC have in our industrial abilities. The project will use the latest in crystalline, bifacial solar technology delivering electricity to the highest efficiency and at a world record-low tariff in such irradiation conditions. It will support the UAE’s unique vision and leadership position in the development of a diverse range of renewable energy solutions that will provide sustainable and efficient power for generations to come.”

Charles Bai, President of JinkoPower International Business, commented: “Jinko is once again privileged to be a partner in developing the new largest PV generation plant in the world, following our successful partnership in building the current world’s largest single solar project, Noor Abu Dhabi. The UAE energy industry is known for its world-class standards, operating with fairness and transparency. It is an attractive environment for investors and underpins our strategy to continue investing in renewable energy projects in the UAE. The Al Dhafra Solar PV project raises the bar in the energy sector and also sets the foundation to demonstrate how new records can be made. Today, Jinko and our partners are proud to begin to execute the world’s largest PV project and diligently deliver the latest world-class technology and construction methods.”

Through this project, 60% will be owned by a consortium comprising TAQA and Masdar, while the remaining 40% will be owned by EDF and JinkoPower. The project’s financial closure is expected to occur in Q3 2020, enabling initial power generation in H1 2022 and full generation by H2 2022. Once fully operational, the plant will increase Abu Dhabi’s solar power capacity to approximately 3.2 GW.

Source: Taqa.com