Gulf Cryo's Abu Dhabi carbon capture plant targets startup within weeks

Gulf Cryo's new carbon capture facility in Abu Dhabi will be operational within weeks, adding to a UAE production target of 73,000 metric tonnes per annum (mtpa) of carbon dioxide by the end of 2026.

The UAE-based industrial gas firm announced the timeline through the state-owned Emirates News Agency (WAM). The Abu Dhabi plant forms part of a broader plan to raise the company's liquid CO2 capacity across Gulf Coast Countries (GCC) to 1,300 tonnes per day.

Why is Gulf Cryo building now?

Georgios Beretsos, Chief Commercial Officer of Gulf Cryo, told WAM that recent developments and the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic underscored the need for local production and resilient supply. The company is positioning capture capacity inside the region rather than relying on imported CO2 for merchant customers.

The new Abu Dhabi facility will sit alongside Gulf Cryo's existing high-purity carbon capture plant, developed in partnership with RAK Ceramics in the northern emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. That plant captures around 17,000 mtpa of CO2 from the ceramics manufacturer's emissions and converts it into food-grade CO2.

The output serves multiple end markets:

• food and beverage applications
• energy
• healthcare

What is the regional capacity target?

In September, Gulf Cryo said it would expand its CO2 capacity across the GCC region. The company expects to reach 470,000 mtpa of CO2 production capacity dedicated to the regional merchant market by the end of 2026. Existing facilities can scale to 750,000 mtpa, in the company's words, "whenever regional demand requires it."

Long-term carbon capture and recovery projects drive the expansion. Production is anchored in three primary hub countries: the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The infrastructure is designed to supply and support neighbouring GCC markets, including Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.

Which partnerships back the buildout?

Two agreements this year frame the growth strategy. In May, UAE steel and building materials company Emsteel signed a deal with Gulf Cryo to advance a fully integrated CO2 business model across its operations. In July, Gulf Cryo partnered with climate technology startup CO2minX to advance CO2 mineralisation opportunities.

The Emsteel agreement ties capture capacity to a single large industrial emitter, while the CO2minX collaboration opens a mineralisation route for captured molecules beyond conventional merchant uses.

What happens next?

The immediate milestone is the startup of the Abu Dhabi plant. Commissioning within weeks would put Gulf Cryo on track toward the 73,000 mtpa UAE target by end-2026. The 470,000 mtpa regional figure carries the same deadline, with the 750,000 mtpa escalation option held in reserve until demand materialises. Each number is a commitment with a date attached, and the merchant market's uptake of the new capacity will decide whether the reserve is called.