Adnoc and Tabreed to decarbonise cooling through use of geothermal energy
Currently, the cooling of structures accounts for the majority of the UAE’s electricity consumption
A breakthrough has been announced by Adnoc and the National Central Cooling Company (Tabreed), following the conclusion of testing on two geothermal wells at Masdar City in Abu Dhabi. The project is said to be the first in the Gulf region to harness geothermal energy.
The project was enabled by Adnoc’s initial US $15bn allocation towards low carbon solutions and will support its decarbonisation plan and Net Zero by 2045 ambition, as well as the Abu Dhabi Climate Change Strategy and UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative.
According to a statement, the project will decarbonise the cooling of buildings in Masdar City, further diversifying the UAE’s energy mix and support the UAE National Energy Strategy 2050, which aims to grow renewable energy capacity to 14GW by 2030.
“Across Adnoc, we are developing and deploying innovative climate technologies and low carbon solutions to deliver on our accelerated decarbonisation plan and Net Zero by 2045 ambition. Geothermal heat is a clean and renewable source of energy abundantly available in the UAE and capable of providing baseload electricity. However, until now, it has remained an untapped source of energy. By leveraging technological advances, for the first time Adnoc and Tabreed have unlocked this clean energy source to decarbonise one of the most energy intensive sectors in the country,” said Musabbeh Al Kaabi, Adnoc Executive Director for Low Carbon Solutions and International Growth.
The wells produced hot water at temperatures exceeding 90-degrees Celsius and flow rates of approximately 100 litres per second (l/s). The hot water generated by the heat from the wells pass through an absorption cooling system to produce chilled water, which will then be supplied to Tabreed’s district cooling network at Masdar City, accounting for 10% of its cooling needs.
Currently, the cooling of buildings accounts for the majority of the UAE’s electricity consumption. District cooling offers a sustainable alternative to traditional cooling methods, as it is around 50% more energy efficient in its standard operations. Leveraging geothermal heat for district cooling operations has the potential to significantly reduce electricity demand for cooling from the grid, helping to decarbonize one of the most energy intensive sectors in the region, the statement added.
Khalid Al Marzooqi, CEO, Tabreed added, “The integration of geothermal energy with district cooling operations represents a significant advancement in the UAE’s journey towards diversifying its energy mix and achieving Net Zero by 2050. We are proud of our collaboration with Adnoc to accelerate our decarbonisation efforts in the lead-up to COP28, which also underscores our commitment to exploring the latest technologies and harnessing the power of renewables to meet the rising demand for sustainable cooling.”
Adnoc is pioneering the development of geothermal energy in the UAE, which can provide a supply of clean baseload energy for electricity generation. Building on the success of the project, Adnoc is also working with several companies to maximise the contribution of geothermal energy in the UAE using the latest drilling and power generation technologies, the statement concluded.
