Heat recycling project to boost ADNOC power plant output by 30%

Phase one of an initiative to recycle waste heat generated by a power plant in Abu Dhabi is set to be completed by the end of the year.

Started in 2018, ADNOC Refining's $600 million (AED 2.2 billion) Waste Heat Recovery project will recycle waste heat generated from the General Utilities Plant in Ruwais to produce up to 230 additional megawatts (MW) of electricity per day - enough to power hundreds of thousands of homes.

It will also produce 62,400 cubic metres (m3) of distilled water per day for use in the plant. Overall, the project will increase power production and thermal efficiency at the plant by around 30 per cent with no additional carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Phase one includes the operation of two new boilers and turbines while phase two will add a further two boilers and is expected to be completed around the middle of 2023.

The Waste Heat Recovery project is one of several strategic initiatives to decarbonise ADNOC's operations and builds on the company's responsible environmental stewardship. This includes milestones such as implementing a zero routine gas flaring policy in the early 2000s and establishing the region's first commercial-scale Carbon Capture and Underground Storage facility in 2016.

In the last 12 months, ADNOC has announced partnerships to decarbonise its operations at scale, with up to 100% of the company's grid power being supplied by clean nuclear and solar energy sources and the first-of-its-kind sub-sea transmission network in the MENA region, which will connect ADNOC's offshore operations to clean onshore power networks.

Abdulla Ateya Al Messabi, CEO of ADNOC Refining, said, "At ADNOC Refining, we are committed to finding innovative ways to improve the efficiency and sustainability of our operations. The Waste Heat Recovery project will revolutionise power and water generation at our plant in Ruwais, and is vital to the ongoing expansion of Ruwais as part of ADNOC's 2030 smart growth strategy."

ADNOC Refining, a joint venture of ADNOC, Eni and OMV, is nearing completion of the first phase of a AED2.2 billion waste heat recovery project at its refinery in Ruwais. pic.twitter.com/1Xkty2MdEB

— مكتب أبوظبي الإعلامي (@ADMediaOffice) September 14, 2022