Small steps at ADNOC Drilling makes a big impact on Reducing GHG emissions

With 2022 now a memory, the UAE Leadership has declared 2023 as the Year of Sustainability. The designation is a reminder that now, more than ever, every person in the UAE has a role to play in reducing the nation’s carbon footprint. As a responsible member of the UAE community, ADNOC Drilling is demonstrating that small steps can have a big impact. 

In line with established best practice, for years the company has treated the wastewater generated from its camps and operational sites. Biologically purified and laboratory-tested, the water is safe for irrigation of vegetation at sites.  But the scale of ADNOC Drilling’s operations across Abu Dhabi meant that the company produced more wastewater than required for irrigation purposes. 

Therefore, every day, vacuum trucks travelled to rigs and camps to remove the excess water and dispose of it elsewhere. Over the years the number of trips has run into the hundreds and thousands, each one releasing emissions.

Last year, ADNOC Drilling successfully created and completed an innovative pilot project on a new ‘Low Carbon Solution’ to eliminate those emissions altogether, with an ‘STP- Sprinkler System’ that discharged the treated water at project sites. The system brought multiple benefits, irrigating the land around the camps and sites, controlling the dust in the area that improved air quality, and cooling the surrounding grounds.

This project is now being rolled out across ADNOC Drilling’s onshore operations. The vacuum trucks make far fewer trips, translating into far fewer emissions. 

ADNOC Drilling is committed to consistently seeking ways to eliminate emissions when possible, and to otherwise reduce them, ensuring our activity is sustainable well into the future. This project demonstrates that the simplest of ideas can be the most effective.