Labworx

Major energy companies in France and the UAE have signed a strategic agreement to collaborate on carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS), among other topics. TotalEnergies, the French multi-energy conglomerate, is teaming up with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), to explore CCUS solutions.

The accord was made during His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan’s visit to the French capital to hold talks with his presidential counterpart, Emmanuel Macron. Through the agreement, both parties hope to further their development of environmentally friendly oil and gas projects, as well as continue to strengthen the ties between the countries.

Leveraging the potential of CCUS

Thanks to an increasing focus on curbing the harmful effects of energy production and consumption, CCUS has emerged as one of the most promising technologies in the industry. By extracting carbon dioxide from the flue streams of power stations, manufacturing plants and other industrial sites, the sector can help to mitigate its impact on the environment.

However, CCUS is a complicated technology which requires expertise and experience to overcome issues involved in its implementation. Gas purity analysis and the avoidance of amine emissions – of which CCUS is one of the biggest sources – are just some of the problems faced by site owners looking to incorporate it into their operations.

Collaborating on other projects

Meanwhile, the accord also included provision for furthering the understanding and cooperation of the two companies on other projects, too. As well as developing oil and gas sites in the UAE to ensure global energy security, the agreement also covered the future supply of diesel from the Middle East to France.

“The agreement offers the potential to accelerate growth and create greater and more sustainable value for our mutual benefit,” said His Excellency Dr Sultan Ahmed al Jaber, Managing Director of ADNOC. “We look forward to working with TotalEnergies to unlock the opportunities presented by the agreement across the energy value chain to enable more secure, affordable and sustainable energy for our countries and the world.”

Strengthening ties

As well as its obvious practical advantages, the agreement is also important in how it deepens relations between France and the UAE. TotalEnergies and ADNOC have been working together for some time, but the recent meeting between the two presidents also resulted in the launch of the UAE-France Business Council and the signing of the Comprehensive Strategic Energy Partnership.

Aside from business, France and the Emirates have also aligned on a number of political issues of late. Both parties opposed Turkish incursion into areas of the Mediterranean that have traditionally been claimed by Greece, while they also took the side of the Libyan National Army in that country’s civil war in recent times.

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