ADNOC and the National Central Cooling Company PJSC (Tabreed) announced the first geothermal energy project set to decarbonize the cooling of the buildings in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi.
The announcement came following the conclusion of testing on two geothermal wells which produce hot water at temperatures exceeding 90 degrees Celsius and flow rates of approximately 100 liters per second. The hot water generated by the heat from the wells will now 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.
Masdar City is a pioneer in sustainability and a hub for research and development, spearheading innovations to realize greener, more sustainable urban living. The city is home to a rapidly growing clean-tech cluster, business-free zone, and residential neighborhood with restaurants, shops, and public green spaces.
This project serves the goals of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company to achieve net zero emissions where ADNOC allocates its initial $15 bn for the project that aims to achieve low carbon solutions. The project also comes within the UAE National Energy Strategy 2050, which aims to grow renewable energy capacity to 14 GW by 2030.
“Across ADNOC, we are developing and deploying innovative climate technologies and low carbon solutions to deliver on our accelerated decarbonization plan and net zero by 2045 ambition,” said Musabbeh Al Kaabi, ADNOC Executive Director for Low Carbon Solutions and International Growth.
Although geothermal heat, a clean and renewable source of energy, is available in the UAE and capable of providing baseload electricity, it is still considered an untapped source of energy.
According to Al Kaabi, leveraging technological advances have enabled ADNOC and Tabreed to unlock for the first time this clean energy source to decarbonize one of the most energy-intensive sectors in the country.
ADNOC is pioneering the development of geothermal energy in the UAE, which can provide a supply of clean base load energy for electricity generation. Building on the success of the project, ADNOC is also working with several companies to maximize the contribution of geothermal energy in the UAE using the latest drilling and power generation technologies.
