News

It has been a pleasure to support the Global CCS Institute and to chart the Institute’s progress in the MENA region. The Institute is the leading global think tank with a mission to accelerate the deployment of CSS. The Institute recently launched the Global CCS Report 2024 highlighting 628 CCS projects globally in the pipeline with 416 Mtpa cumulative capture capacity.

The Head of the MENA Region is led by Mohammad Abu Zahra and I was delighted to attend the Global CCS Members’ Day during ADIPEC Exhibition and Conference which showcased the Global CCS Report. It was also great to catch up with Ingrid Huldal, Director Sustainable Energy Solutions at Expro Group. Ingrid is steering Expro's renewable energy initiatives and leveraging her deep expertise in decarbonization and geothermal energy. With over two years at the helm, Ingrid has successfully assisted to position Expro at the forefront of the shift towards clean energy, embodying a strategic vision that aligns with Expro’s global decarbonisation goals.

Last week countries at the COP29 climate summit gave the go-ahead to carbon credit quality standards which are critical to launching a U.N.-backed global carbon market that would fund projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are looking to bolster their participation in the voluntary carbon market.

In addition to the CO2 challenges, methane emissions abatement is a key aspect of the energy transition challenge. Launched in 2004, the Global Methane Initiative (GMI) Initiative is an international public-private initiative that advances cost-effective, near-term methane abatement and recovery and use of methane as a valuable energy source.

From a Middle East perspective, the EIC (Energy Industries Council) is tracking almost US$170bn clean energy projects in the GCC region including renewables, hydrogen, CCS, energy storage, energy from waste and geothermal. This represents 23% of the total value of the energy market in the region.

HFI is keen to play a key role in supporting clients’ business growth opportunities in the Middle East energy transition – routes to growth include acquisitions, local partner ventures, in region group structures, technology supply and technical services contracts (TSTSCs) and in-region manufacturing ventures (IMVs), with advanced energy technology licensing and local manufacturing, procurement, employment and training being a growing policy objective in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman.

Following ADIPEC 2024, the next major landmark in the region is the World Future Energy Summit 2025 in Abu Dhabi on 14 – 16 January and we look forward to the ongoing dialogue with clients and connections as we cross the bridge from ADIPEC to WFES.