Masdar, Mitsubishi Chemical Group And INPEX Agree On Joint Feasibility Study For Carbon Recycle Chemicals Project In Abu Dhabi, UAE

Targeting World’s First Polypropylene Produced from CO2 and Green Hydrogen

Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC – Masdar (“Masdar”), Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corporation (“MCG”) and INPEX CORPORATION (“INPEX”) announced that they reached an agreement on 17th July 2023 to conduct a joint feasibility study (“FS”) for a carbon recycle chemicals project (“CRC Project”) including production of the world’s first commercial-scale polypropylene produced from CO2 and green hydrogen in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The execution of the agreement was announced during the JAPAN-UAE Business Forum held on 17th July 2023 in Abu Dhabi, in the presence of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan and HH Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council.

The FS will be conducted to explore the feasibility of a commercial scale CRC Project to produce polypropylene from e-methanol via propylene. The scope of the FS includes project economics and measurement of CO2 emission reduction as well as an integrated process review from the procurement of feedstock materials including hydrogen production and CO2 collection to the production of e-methanol, propylene, and polypropylene.

Methanol is widely used in various industries as a basic chemical material. There has been a surge in demand for cleaner marine fuel such as e-methanol that will be produced from the CRC Project. Polypropylene, a type of plastic material, is used to manufacture a wide range of indispensable daily products and materials. E-Methanol and polypropylene produced from the CRC Project have lower life-cycle CO2 emissions compared with conventional products. Through the FS and further development of the CRC Project, Masdar, MCG and INPEX aim to help various industries decarbonize or reduce their carbon footprint.

Masdar is the UAE’s clean energy champion and has been pioneering renewable energy for over 17 years. As well as investing in utility-scale solar and wind project around the world, Masdar has been exploring green hydrogen since 2008. The company is targeting green hydrogen production of 1 million tonnes per annum by 2030 and has signed and executed several global collaboration agreements with their strategic alliance partners in recent years. Active in over 40 countries, Masdar’s combined renewable energy capacity is over 20GW and its global investment portfolio exceeds US$30 billion. Masdar has invested in renewable energy technologies including waste-to-energy, geothermal and battery storage.

MCG is Japan’s largest chemical company by sales volume and contributes to realizing a circular economy by targeting carbon neutrality by 2050. Together with JGC Corporation, MCG has jointly developed a technology to directly produce propylene from methanol.

INPEX presented its “5 net zero business” initiatives including the development of a hydrogen business and promotion of carbon recycling opportunities in its long-term strategy and medium-term business plan (INPEX Vision @2022) announced in February 2022. The CRC Project, including hydrogen production and CO2 collection, is in line with these initiatives through which INPEX will seek to contribute to the realization of a net zero carbon society by 2050.