There is no doubt that the issue of climate change is one of the most intractable facing the human race. It has been on the agenda of international discussions, negotiations, agreements and protocols for over 20 years and more to come.

Even though there is some scepticism about the reasons, extent and impact of climate change, it has boiled down to the idea that climate change is impacted most by human activities causing the increased emission of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide (CO2).

Any move to reduce these activities is resisted by all energy users, especially in developing countries, because such limitation will put a brake on their social and economic development, widen the gap with developed nations and increase poverty.

Fossil fuel producers, such as but not limited to Opec, though concerned about climate change, are concerned that some policies of industrialised countries may affect fossil fuel exports.

Here it is important to note that almost 70 per cent of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere are fossil fuel related, which will remain for the foreseeable future. CO2 emissions were estimated at 27 giga tonnes/year (gt/y) in 2000 and if things continue at the current rate of increase, the emissions may reach 62 gt/y by 2050 while current discussions desire to stabilise CO2 emissions at the 2000 level.

One idea that may come to the rescue is CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS) whereby CO2 is separated from combustion products, gathered, transported and injected in storage structures underground.

The G8 summit meeting in Tokyo last year accepted IEA recommendations to commit to 20 large-scale CCS projects by 2010.

Sharing experience

At the 2006 Arab Energy Conference in Amman, Jordan, I suggested that oil producers are part and parcel of the human race and that they will not be immune from the impact of climate change. I suggested that Arab oil and gas producers should embrace a CCS project and share its experience with the rest of the world. The Arab oil and gas producers may even be able to use CO2 injection to enhance oil recovery from mature fields and therefore the expensive CCS projects may become a very attractive and profitable undertaking.

In the 2007 Opec Summit in Saudi Arabia, members of the organisation pledged $750 million (Dh2.75 billion) for a fund to support research in energy, environment and climate change.

Saudi Arabia contributed $300 million to the fund with contributions from the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait as well. Aramco is active in studying and implementing pilot projects for CO2-based enhanced oil recovery.

Recovery

The UAE launched the Masdar Advanced Energy and Sustainability programme, which includes CCS. The UAE's ongoing studies are aimed at enhanced oil recovery in the country's oil fields where Adnoc is evaluating CO2 injection as an alternative to natural gas injection. Similar ideas are also pursued in Qatar.

But the first large-scale project in the Arab world is in "In Salah" in Algeria where the CO2 produced with natural gas from nearby fields is separated and injected back in an aquifer much deeper than the field reservoirs. The site is expected to finally store 17 million tonnes of CO2 at a cost of approximately $6 per tonne. The results of monitoring and operational experience will be shared with the European Union as part of international cooperation.

There is a huge potential in the Arab countries for CCS in oil and gas fields and in aquifers and it is important to pursue them especially if they increase oil production and recovery and also contribute a sizable effort to adapt to climate change.

 

- Saadallah Al Fathi is a former head of the Energy Studies Department in Opec Secretariat in Vienna.