Kuwait's public, private sectors together against carbon emissions, climate change

Zawya

24-02-2025

The State of Kuwait witnessed recently various collaborations between the public and private sectors in combating carbon emissions and reinforcing environmental sustainability.
Kuwait's environmental policies came in line with international standards and the country's own commitment to the environment.
Speaking to KUNA in this regard, public and private sector representatives touted their roles in decreasing the country's carbon emissions.
Chemical engineer at the Public Authority for Industry (PAI) Narjes Al-Hawwaj affirmed that industrial complexes were eager to reduce their carbon imprints via the latest technologies and utilizing clean fuel sources for their operations.
She indicated that the state's industrial strategy of 2035, issued by PAI, came to reinforce environmental sustainability according to international accords in addition to Kuwait's 2050 decreased carbon emission strategy.
She revealed that carbon emissions from the industrial sector were considered small, about 2.15 percent, compared to the energy and water desalination sectors with the percentage amounting to 95.8 from the total of carbon emissions, while waste was numbered at 1.95 percent according to statistics issued by the 2050 long-term national development strategy for decreased carbon emissions in Kuwait and related international accords.
On her part, senior engineer at the Ministry of Electricity, Water, and Renewable Energy Asmaa Al-Sallal said that the ministry had launched a number of initiatives that would reduce carbon emissions.
Latest technologies to produce energy and water with less pollutants were pursued, she asserted, pointing out that for instance, recycled Carbon Dioxide (CO2) was used in operations, saving around 1,221 tons annual of carbon emissions.
She affirmed that seeking a better environment had also decreased the cost of constructing boilers by around KD 12 million (USD 38.9 million), adding that the cost of fuel was also reduced by KD 35.5 million (approx. USD 115 million).
Similarly, Dalal Al-Ajmi -- head of the climate change department at the Environment Public Authority (EPA) -- asserted that Kuwait would abide by the UN's climate change accord, which included a commitment to reduce carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 with a focus to reach 7.5 percent carbon emissions before 2035.
Utilizing renewable energy, managing energy consumption, and developing rapid transportation projects were key national efforts to tackle increased carbon emissions, she stressed, saying that projects such as Al-Zour refinery, and biofuel use in producing energy were amongst projects geared toward such goals.
Kuwait is focusing currently on the Circular Carbon Economy (CCE), which entailed the recycling and getting rid of carbon emissions, Al-Ajmi revealed, indicating that Kuwait had major projects in this regard including the reintroduction of mangrove plants, which could hold around 12.3 kilograms of CO2 per plant annually.
On the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), director of gas production and projects Engineer Abdullah Al-Mutairi said that the company had devised an ambitious plan to harness carbon emissions in coordination with companies affiliated with Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) with the aim of zero carbon emissions by 2050.
He pointed out that the company aimed at harnessing 26 million tons of CO2 by 2050, noting that the scheme would be divided into three phases starting by 2030.
Once harnessed, the CO2 would be stored in biological containers west of the country while further looking for other storage methods down the line, he added.
Also providing a statement, the head of the environmental team at the Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) Hussam Jamal said that several efforts were underway to decrease greenhouse gasses, pointing out that Flare Gas Recovery Units (FGRU) in the refineries of Mina Abdullah and Mina Al-Ahmadi and numerous recycling initiatives were part of the efforts to protect the environment and combat climate change.
In regards to the FGRU projects -- which are essentially systems that capture flare gases and redirect them back into production workflows for reuse as fuel gas -- Jamal said that in the Mina Abdullah refinery the reduction reached 91,736 tons annually, while in Al-Ahmadi refinery, it reached 54,419 tons annually.
He revealed that KNPC was planning to establish FGRU units in other refineries, noting that the company contributed a small nine percent to the total carbon emission number in the State of Kuwait.
He noted that the KNPC was also planning to increase energy efficiency in refineries, reducing at the same time, energy consumption by 12 percent as well as carbon emissions and harmful material to the environment.
Program Manager for the Flagship Projects Program, Research Directorate, at the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) Dina Al-Naqib announced the launch of the "White Papers, Kuwait's Energy Transition," the first comprehensive roadmap for energy transformation in Kuwait and environmental sustainability.
She indicated that the paper opened the way for around USD 392 billion in economic opportunities, which in turned decreased carbon emissions and boosted energy efficiency.
Al-Naqib said that Kuwait is placed sixth globally in carbon emissions per individual at 20.8 tons of CO2 annually, revealing that the total of Kuwait's emissions dwarfed other countries with around 0.3 percent of the global percentage.
Back to the White Paper, Al-Naqib affirmed that Kuwait, throughout the document, was eager to achieve carbon neutrality in the oil sector by 2050 and on the national level by 2060, adding that Kuwait's energy transformation would decrease oil and gas consumption by 3.4 billion tons, help plant 340 million trees, install 500,000 smart electricity meters, and shifts 75 percent public and private sector to owned vehicles to electric or hybrid, bringing in USD 240 billion in investments.
EQUATE Petrochemical Company said on its part that it kick-started a pioneering project to harness CO2 in the Ethylene Glycols manufactory to decrease carbon imprint and boost industrial sustainability, noting that around 735,460 tons of carbon was harnessed since the project was launched.
Harnessed carbon is sent to the Kuwait Industrial Gases Company for recycling, a matter that reinforces Circular Carbon Economy (CCE), indicated EQUATE, predicting that the volume of harnessed carbon might reach 4.3 million tons by 2050.
Providing a similar input, a statement by the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) said that cooperation within Kuwait and abroad was underway in the Turquoise hydrogen technologies to produce hydrogen in a way to reduce carbon imprint in heavy industries.
KISR touted a project that reduced CO2 emissions in the manufacturing of concrete with the method of decreasing carbon emission by 30 percent.
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