Public understanding and acceptance of CCS technology vary widely. What efforts are being made to improve awareness and trust in these technologies? Public perception and stakeholder engagement are essential for the successful deployment of carbon management technologies and should be a core element of all CCS projects. Building trust requires transparent communication of CCS’s role as a critical climate mitigation solution and its broader benefits, such as supporting net-zero targets, creating and sustaining jobs in heavy-emitting industries, and enabling a just transition by helping existing industries remain competitive in low-carbon economies. Education and capacity building are also vital. Programmes aimed at raising awareness, training local talent and fostering expertise in CCS technologies can help ensure widespread understanding and acceptance. Engaging academic institutions, industry leaders and governments in these efforts strengthens the foundation for long-term adoption and community trust in CCS solutions. What milestones do you believe CCS technology needs to achieve in the next decade to meet global climate goals effectively? Achieving global climate targets will require annual CO2 storage rates of approximately 1 gigatonne per annum by 2030, and multiple gigatonnes per annum by 2050. For CCS to support reaching our shared climate goals, it is essential to speed up the deployment of the technology and have more projects reaching final investment decisions and ultimately commencing operations. Difficult investment settings, community concerns and regulatory barriers are among the key challenges that must be addressed. Over the coming years, governments, industries and research institutions should continue working together and increase efforts towards removing barriers, lowering costs and driving investment in CCS. What initiatives is the Global CCS Institute currently leading or supporting in the Middle East to promote CCS technologies, and what outcomes are you expecting?
PROFESSOR MOHAMMAD ABU ZAHRA Prof. Mohammad Abu Zahra joined the Global CCS Institute in January 2022 as Head of Middle East Africa (MEA) region. He holds 20 years’ of GHHSH[SHULHQFHDQGLQWHUQDWLRQDOH[SHUWLVHLQWKH&DUERQ&DSWXUHƓHOG Prof. Abu Zahra is also an experienced university professor and a current member of the UN Council of Engineers for Energy Transition (CEET). Previous responsibilities included the management of projects in carbon dioxide capture and CCS integrated systems, consultancy, chemical engineering, and process design. Prior to joining the Institute, Prof. Abu Zahra worked as a professor and CO2 capture research leader at Masdar Institute and Khalifa University (2011- 2022). He also worked at the International Energy Agency Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme (IEAGHG) as a project manager for the carbon capture and integrated energy systems team.
regional leader in CCS deployment, aims to capacity building and developing new initiatives to enhance carbon management capabilities in the UAE. Furthermore, the Institute is building partnerships with academic institutions across the region to enhance research and development, support local talent and advance education and capacity-building initiatives essential for the long-term success of CCS technologies. The outlook for CCS in the region is certainly promising. The capture capacity of CCS projects in the pipeline across the Middle East and Africa is expected to exceed 65Mtpa by 2035. This will continue to be driven by regional decarbonisation strategies, and collaboration across the public and private sectors in areas including carbon markets, technology development, and various cross-border initiatives and projects.
The Global CCS Institute continues to work closely with its members and regional stakeholders to accelerate the adoption of CCS technologies in the Middle East, focusing on cost-effective and timely deployment. To achieve this, the Institute actively shares expertise, builds capacity and provides critical guidance on policy, regulation, and business model development. Exemplary of these efforts, the Institute recently partnered with Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) to develop guidance to support the government of Oman in the design and implementation of CCS-specific legislation. The Institute has been actively engaged in working with the Saudi Ministry of Energy (MOE) on strategies to integrate CCS into the Kingdom’s broader climate and economic goals by evaluating potential business models
and commercialization of CCS. Collaboration with ADNOC, a
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THE FUTURE OF ENERGY
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