Aramco CEO Reaffirms Company’s Commitment to Reducing Gas Emissions

Saudi Aramco Chief Executive Amin H. Nasser attends OGCI event, photo provided by Saudi Aramco's official website
Saudi Aramco Chief Executive Amin H. Nasser attends OGCI event, photo provided by Saudi Aramco's official website
TT

Aramco CEO Reaffirms Company’s Commitment to Reducing Gas Emissions

Saudi Aramco Chief Executive Amin H. Nasser attends OGCI event, photo provided by Saudi Aramco's official website
Saudi Aramco Chief Executive Amin H. Nasser attends OGCI event, photo provided by Saudi Aramco's official website

Saudi Aramco Chief Executive Amin H. Nasser has reaffirmed the company’s commitment to cutting back greenhouse gas emissions.

The Aramco top executive was attending an event sponsored by the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI), a partnership of 10 international oil companies that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the industry.

“Saudi Aramco is committed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by focusing our research, development and funding on high impact technologies that reduce cost and create significant environmental advantages,” Nasser said at the event.

The investments with Solidia Technologies, Achates Power and the first commercial carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS) gas plant are a testimony to OGCI’s determination to tackle climate change through technology-enabled solutions that align with Saudi Aramco’s key priorities of reducing GHG emissions in the energy sector.

“We are also leveraging our global research and development network to demonstrate more efficient transport solutions, as well as, new technologies to capture CO2 and transform it into high value products, such as the Converge® technology, which produces low GHG footprint polymers,” Nasser added.

In a joint statement, the OGCI member companies said that “natural gas is a vital part of the transition to a lower carbon future.”

They also said they aimed at working towards reaching near-zero methane emissions from the gas value chain.

More so, they expressed their commitment towards ensuring that natural gas continues to deliver its clear climate and clean air benefit compared to coal.

In other achievements over the past year, OGCI is partnering with United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to launch the world’s first global methane study focused on filling gaps in identification and quantification of global methane emissions. OGCI is also working with Imperial College London to develop a clearer understanding of total GHG emissions across the natural gas value chain.



UAE Cabinet Approves 12% Spending Increase in 2025 Budget

A general view of Abu Dhabi, UAE. (WAM)
A general view of Abu Dhabi, UAE. (WAM)
TT

UAE Cabinet Approves 12% Spending Increase in 2025 Budget

A general view of Abu Dhabi, UAE. (WAM)
A general view of Abu Dhabi, UAE. (WAM)

The United Arab Emirates' cabinet has approved a balanced budget for the 2025 fiscal year with expenditures rising to 71.5 billion dirhams ($19.47 billion), state news agency WAM said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Gulf state, one of the world's top oil exporters, projects an increase in spending of almost 12% next year from 2024 estimates, but still expects a balanced budget in 2025, since revenue is also budgeted at 71.5 billion dirhams, according to the statement.

The approved annual budget is part of the UAE's multi-year financial plan for the years 2022-2026. The country approved a$52.3 billion budget for 2024-26 last October.

The UAE is a federation of seven emirates, all of which can set individual budgets, in addition to a federal budget. A large focus of the federal budget is on social and welfare spending.

Almost 40% of the 2025 budget will be allocated to social development and pensions, with education accounting for the majority of spending in that sector, followed by healthcare.

More than 35% of the spending is for government affairs, with much smaller allocations for the Infrastructure and Economic Affairs sector and for the Financial Investments sector, the statement said.