The International Energy Agency Greenhouse Gas R&D Program (IEAGHG) has signed an agreement with Khalifa University for the university to host the 15th International Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies Conference in Abu Dhabi in 2020.

The International Energy Agency Greenhouse Gas R&D Program (IEAGHG) has signed an agreement with Khalifa University for the university to host the 15th International Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies Conference (GHGT-15) in Abu Dhabi in 2020.

This brings the conference to the Middle East for the first time.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU was signed by Dr Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, executive vice-president, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, and John Gale, general manager, IEAGHG, at the Khalifa University Main Campus in Abu Dhabi.

Held once every two years, the GHGT conference series has established itself as the principal international conference on greenhouse gas mitigation technologies, especially carbon capture and sequestration (CCS).

The event is considered an ideal platform for collaboration for CCS projects, since it was formed in 1997 following the merger of the earlier series of International Conference on Carbon Dioxide Removal (ICCDR) and the Greenhouse Gas Mitigation options conference. The GHGT-15 to be held in Abu Dhabi will highlight the advantages of CCS technologies, particularly for enhanced crude oil recovery.

Dr Arif Sultan Al Hammadi said: “We are delighted to sign this MoU and partner with IEAGHG to bring GHGT-15, an international event that will gather global academic and industry leaders as well as researchers in Abu Dhabi. Khalifa University remains a pioneer in hosting various prominent global conferences in science and technology that highlight the advanced projects the UAE is currently implementing. We believe GHGT 15 will raise awareness about the latest developments in the region that will also lead to knowledge exchange and sharing of expertise.”

He added: “Khalifa University focuses its efforts on energy research including renewable, fossil fuel, and the environment, benefiting from the existence of specialized institutes such as the Masdar Institute and the Petroleum Institute. Both are world pioneers in energy research and technologies for preservation of environment, key priority areas for the UAE’s wise leadership.”

John Gale said: “Bringing the GHGT conference series to Abu Dhabi in 2020 represents an exciting new development for this long running conference series. It also serves to demonstrate that CCS deployment is a truly global activity. Further, the GHGT-15 conference will emphasize the key role the GCC countries will play in developing both carbon capture technology and using that CO2 for enhanced oil recovery operations,

The IEAGHG is the guardian of the GHGT conference series, which rotates among North America, Europe and Asia. The most recent event in the series, GHGT-14, is scheduled to be held from 21-26 October 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. GHGT-14 will highlight advances in CCS in Australia as well as developments in the whole Asia-Pacific region.

Dr. Mohammad Abu Zahra, associate professor, Khalifa University, and chair of the GHGT-15 conference in Abu Dhabi in 2020, stressed the importance of having such a conference in Abu Dhabi as it will encourage more research, demonstration and deployment of CCS technologies in the region.

Dr Abu Zahra is a member of the GHGT-14 conference technical program committee and will be chairing multiple technical sessions at GHGT-14. Khalifa University faculty and students will present 10 accepted abstracts as oral or poster presentations at the Melbourne conference.

According to the Global CCS Institute, Abu Dhabi hosts the world’s first fully commercial CCS facility in the iron and steel industry, and involves the capture and transport of CO2 via a new compression facility at the Emirates Steel Industries facility in Mussafah. Launched in November 2016, the compression facility has a capture capacity of 0.8 Mtpa. The captured CO2 is transported via pipeline to Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) oil reservoirs for enhanced oil recovery. – TradeArabia News Service