Ta’ziz is a joint venture between ADNOC and Abu Dhabi holding company ADQ that is proposing to invest more than $5 billion in the complex, which will be located within the planned Ruwais Derivatives Park in Abu Dhabi.

The first phase of development, costing more than $3 billion, will include plants for producing chlor-alkali, ethylene dichloride, maleic anhydride, methanol, isopropyl alcohol and elastomers. In parallel with the pre-FEED work, ADNOC will perform a feasibility study on the supply of blue hydrogen from its operations in Ruwais, where it produces more than 300,000 t/y hydrogen, to the 1 million t/y ammonia project.

Blue ammonia is made from nitrogen and blue hydrogen derived from natural gas feedstocks, with the CO₂ by-product from hydrogen production captured and stored. The ammonia can be used as a low-carbon fuel across a wide range of industrial applications, including transportation, power generation and industries such as fertilizer production.

“We are proud to be supporting ADNOC's transformational project, leading the future of the hydrogen production and export market,” said Dan Carter, Wood’s global director of decarbonization & new energies. “Refining and petrochemical capacity continues to grow at pace across the Middle East and the region is now considering new ways to unlock the potential of its natural resources while supporting the move towards a low-carbon economy and paving the way to a more sustainable future.”

In recent months, ADNOC has signed a number of agreements to explore hydrogen supply opportunities with customers in key demand centers including the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan and Korea’s GS Energy. This, it said, builds on the mandate given by the Supreme Petroleum Council last November to explore opportunities in hydrogen and hydrogen carrier fuels such as blue ammonia, with the ambition to position the United Arab Emirates as a hydrogen leader.

A final investment decision on the projects is expected in 2022 with start-up targeted for 2025. ADNOC said Ta’ziz has made significant progress since its launch in November 2020, with development activities at the site moving forward and land and marine surveys completed. In addition, agreements with the first phase of investors are nearing finalization.

Author: Elaine Burridge, Freelance Journalist