Challenges of Mid-Stream Operators in CCUS Value Chain

With the increasing global interest in the Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) industry, numerous CCS investments are either operational or nearing final investment decisions. These projects often involve multiple stakeholders, with responsibilities distributed among various internal and external entities. This paper delves into the challenges faced by a midstream CCUS operator who has limited control over the entire CCUS value chain and practical insights on some of the mitigation strategies that can be adopted to manoeuvre around or address those challenges which will ensure the efficient delivery of project objectives. It presents valuable insights on some of the pressing challenges that CCUS projects are likely to encounter and shares feasible best practice options within the context of interface management, Value Chain Assurance, Offtake Planning, Facility Availability Assurance, etc, as a means to mitigate those challenges. The insights are based on real data and valuable lessons learned from the successful implementation and operation of ADNOC’s pioneering “Al Reyadah” CCUS project that is in operations in the UAE since late 2016. The abstract is aimed to benefit industry peers operating in similar contexts and also help onboard new entrants that may be expanding onto CCUS domain by way of accelerating the learning curve through knowledge sharing.