Hydrogen Energy, a joint venture of BP PLC (BP) and Rio Tinto PLC (RTP), and Abu Dhabi plan to produce first electricity from a $2-billion hydrogen power plant in the U.A.E.'s largest emirate by 2012, the partners said in a joint statement Monday.
The hydrogen plant, which is set to have capacity to produce 420 megawatts of power, or 5% of Abu Dhabi's existing generating capacity, will limit greenhouse gas emissions by capturing some 90% of the carbon dioxide, or CO2, generated, Hydrogen Energy said in the statement.
The 1.7-million tons a year of CO2 captured are equivalent to decarbonising the entire domestic transport sector of Abu Dhabi, the holder of almost all of the country's oil reserves, Hydrogen added.
The hydrogen plant is part of Abu Dhabi's $15 billion Masdar initiative, which was launched in April 2006 to establish the emirate as a hub for alternative energy resources and sustainable technologies at a time of rising concerns over global warming fueled by increased consumption of hydrocarbons.
Hydrogen plants use fossil fuels such as natural gas or coal and split them into hydrogen and CO2, which is considered to be a main driver behind global warming.
The hydrogen-rich gas is then used to generate electricity in a power plant, while the CO2 is captured and stored, subsequently reducing the amount of emissions into the atmosphere.
Hydrogen Energy and its local partner, Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co., or Adfec, the government-run entity implementing the so-called Masdar initiative, plan to inject the captured CO2 into domestic oil fields, boosting crude oil production while at the same time keeping it stored underground.
The Abu Dhabi hydrogen plant will comprise a natural gas reformer and carbon capture facilities with capacity to transform 100 million cubic feet a day of natural gas into hydrogen and CO2, according to the statement.
Work on the project's $45 million early engineering contract is already under way, with scheduled completion due for the end of this year. Construction on the plant will start in early 2009, Hydrogen Energy said.
The overall project, excluding the investment in CO2 transportation and sequestration, will require capital investment of about $2 billion, the company added.
BP has already announced plans for a commercial hydrogen power plant at Carson in southern California.
The latest announcement follows reports published by Zawya Dow Jones in January 2007 that BP and Adfec were working on implementing the Middle East's first hydrogen plant.
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