• Business

ADIPEC Awards 2023 Celebrates Trailblazers Accelerating the Energy Transition

by Swati Gupta

October 3, 2023 27

The prestigious ADIPEC Awards 2023 has paid tribute to eight groundbreaking projects, companies, and individuals that are driving transformative changes in the global energy landscape. These award recipients hail from the UAE, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Israel, and the United States, embodying a diverse range of innovators committed to advancing net-zero emissions, decarbonization, and a just energy transition.

Themed ‘Leading the Transformation,’ the 13th ADIPEC Awards Ceremony held at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi acknowledged remarkable accomplishments within the broader energy sector. The event celebrated global pioneers who are passionately championing sustainability and equitable energy transformation across eight award categories.

The awards gala, graced by leaders, dignitaries, and luminaries from the energy, technology, and government sectors, served as a testament to the global commitment towards a sustainable energy future.

Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure and Juror for ADIPEC Awards 2023, stated, “In the UAE’s Year of Sustainability, we are immensely proud that the ADIPEC Awards have attracted some of the world’s most innovative and forward-thinking companies and individuals to showcase their leadership in advancing the energy transition.”

He further emphasized the pressing need for concrete solutions to address climate change and decarbonization, underlining the awards’ role in recognizing excellence in innovation and collaboration to drive the industry forward.

Fatema Al Nuaimi, Chairperson of ADIPEC Awards 2023 and Executive Vice President of Downstream Business Management at ADNOC, highlighted the significance of this year’s honorees in leading the global energy transition. She expressed her belief that these winners would inspire other energy sector innovators to redouble their efforts in building a more sustainable global energy system.

Among the esteemed awardees was Professor Ernest J. Moniz, CEO of the US-based Energy Futures Initiative, who received the Leader of Change – Passionate Driver of Progress Award. Professor Moniz has made substantial contributions to energy innovation and international security matters, transcending academia, research, government, and the nonprofit sector. His work has elevated climate mitigation and clean energy in both government and the scientific community.

In his acceptance speech, Professor Moniz expressed his gratitude and highlighted the timeliness of receiving the award in the UAE during the year of COP28, which seeks to set new standards for pragmatic and results-oriented action, bridging the gap between developed and developing nations.

The Young Changemaker of the Year Award was bestowed upon Lee Kian Seng, Product Manager, Technology Digital Solutions at PETRONAS, Malaysia. Seng has been a driving force behind transformative changes within PETRONAS, particularly in leading big-data analytics projects related to production yield optimization, energy efficiency, and plant start-up execution.

The United Kingdom and Northern Ireland’s Carbon Clean company received the Clean Energy Technology Innovation of the Year Award for its CycloneCC technology. This innovation significantly reduces the cost and physical footprint of carbon capture by more than 50 percent. Its standardized and modular design allows for scalability and rapid adoption, making carbon capture more accessible to various industries.

The American company LanzaTech was honored with the Decarbonization at Scale Award for its groundbreaking carbon capture process. Deployed at three commercial sites in China in partnership with Shougang, this process captures all produced CO2 and converts it into sustainable fuels and chemicals, contributing to emissions reduction and the creation of a circular carbon economy.

PETRONAS Research, based in Malaysia, was recognized as the ADIPEC Awards Developing Economies Energy Company of the Year. The company’s innovative technology solution enables the capture and monetization of stranded high carbon dioxide fields in developing countries, effectively transforming previously uneconomical natural gas reserves into valuable products.

The Future Energy Workforce Development Programme Award went to ADNOC for its Energy Futures Initiative, a strategic workforce development program developed in collaboration with SLB. This initiative leverages innovative methodologies and technologies, including AI-powered talent analytics, to gain a competitive edge in a dynamic labor market.

H2Pro, an Israeli company, received the Transformative Hydrogen Project Award for its E-TAC methodology, which achieves green hydrogen production with a remarkable 95 percent energy efficiency, surpassing the typical 60-70 percent efficiency of conventional electrolysis. H2Pro’s E-TAC electrolysers offer the potential for the lowest levelized cost of hydrogen.

The Game-Changing Partnership Award was presented to ADNOC Onshore and the Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) for their collaboration, enabling ADNOC Onshore to source grid power from renewable energy sources. This partnership supports the decarbonization of ADNOC Onshore’s operations.

ADIPEC Awards 2023 witnessed an exceptional turnout, with a record-breaking 1,072 entries from 78 countries. The event showcased a diverse array of geographies, industries, and companies, introducing new award categories to address critical global challenges related to universal access to cleaner, more secure energy and a swifter energy transition.