Technology

The contract is for the UAE's first methanol plant. (Image source: TA'ZIZ)

SAMSUNG E&A is set to construct the UAE’s first methanol plant in Al Ruwais Industrial City, Abu Dhabi

This follows the award of an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract award worth US$1.7bn (AED6.2bn) from TA’ZIZ, the UAE’s chemicals and transition fuels ecosystem.

The project is in line with TA’ZIZ’s mission to advance the UAE’s economic diversification by unlocking new domestic chemical value chains. The 1.8 million tons per annum (mtpa) plant is set to be one of the world’s largest methanol plants, as well as one of the most energy-efficient, as on completion in 2028 it will be powered by clean energy from the grid.

Promising transition fuel

Methanol is a promising transition fuel, offering a cleaner alternative to conventional fuels such as coal and diesel for power generation. It also serves as an alternative to high-sulphur fuels used in marine transportation. Additionally, methanol is a key feedstock for a range of chemical derivatives, allowing the production of thousands of products including plastics, resins, pharmaceuticals and building materials.

TA’ZIZ, founded in 2020 as a joint venture between ADNOC and ADQ, is a manufacturing, industrial services, logistics and utilities ecosystem that drives, the production of chemicals value chains and transition fuels.In its initial phase, TA'ZIZ will produce 4.7 mtpa of chemicals by 2028, including methanol, low-carbon ammonia, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), ethylene dichloride, vinyl chloride monomer, and caustic soda. Several of these chemicals will be produced for the first time in the UAE, reinforcing TA’ZIZ’s strategic goal to expand the local chemicals value chain and advance economic diversification through industrialisation.

Mashal Saoud Al-Kindi, CEO of TA’ZIZ, said, “This landmark EPC contract award is a significant step in realizing TA’ZIZ’s vision to drive the UAE’s industrial growth by creating a world-scale integrated chemicals ecosystem in Al Dhafra region. The plant will enhance the UAE’s position as a leader in sustainable chemicals production and strengthen TA’ZIZ’s role in enabling ADNOC’s global ambition to lead the chemicals sector.”

SAMSUNG E&A will bring its successful experience of a recently completed methanol plant in Malaysia and will apply its unique execution system, involving modularisation and automation, to the project.

Hong Namkoong, president and CEO of SAMSUNG E&A, said, "SAMSUNG E&A is honoured to receive this recognition, highlighting TA’ZIZ’s and our commitment to driving industrial innovation, diversifying the UAE's economy, and enabling sustainable growth. We plan to actively leverage local resources and our network of partners based on our extensive regional experience in the Ruwais Industrial Complex, UAE. This milestone underscores the power of collaboration in creating world-scale facilities that will position the UAE as a global hub for advanced methanol production.”

The app provides home collection services as well. (Image source: Canva Pro)

Lootah Biofuels has launched a smart app for Android and iOS to encourage individuals and businesses across the UAE to recycle used cooking oil (UCO) into biofuel, reducing environmental and public health risks.

The app provides home collection services, an interactive map of biodiesel stations, and financial incentives through a built-in digital wallet.

Since its founding in 2010, Lootah Biofuels has built a supplier network that includes the hospitality and restaurant sectors, with the top 10 partners contributing over 300,000 litres of UCO per month.

The initiative aligns with the UAE’s sustainability goals, aiming to increase UCO recycling rates from below 50% to over 80%.

Reducing costs

The company emphasises that biodiesel from used cooking oil offers the highest carbon reduction among biofuels and can lower long-term transportation costs. The app also raises awareness about biofuels' role in reducing emissions and supports job creation in oil collection, recycling, and biodiesel distribution.

Yousif Bin Saeed Lootah, founder and CEO of Lootah Biofuels, stated, "We are committed to employing the latest technologies and solutions across all stages of our operations to accelerate the adoption of innovative and sustainable practices. Our initiatives encourage individuals and institutions to contribute to sustainability and the circular economy by leveraging available channels to collect used cooking oil and convert it into environmentally friendly and sustainable biofuel."

Biodiesel produced by Lootah Biofuels from used cooking oil has the highest carbon reduction rate among all available feedstocks for biodiesel production, according to the company.

The app, available on both Android and iOS platforms, aims to encourage individuals, businesses, and institutions across the UAE to responsibly dispose of used cooking oil. The move will divert disposal of UCO to the ground and sewerage, which poses environmental and public health risks, converting it into clean energy.

Biofuel extracted from used oil is a more cost-effective alternative, and its increasing use in commercial transportation fleet is expected to help lower the cost of goods and products in the long run.

Florian Combacau, portfolio alignment director at Axis Communications. (Image source: Axis Communications)

Florian Combacau, portfolio alignment director at Axis Communications, speakes to Health, Safety and Environment Review about the company’s latest offerings and industry analysis.   

Speaking about artificial intelligence and how it can transform the security industry, Combacau said, “Deep learning technologies are the bread and butter of most analytics solutions within the security sector, while newer generative AI technologies are rapidly maturing. There is still a lot of hype in certain areas but real applications of generative AI in the security sector are becoming available. Each step of evolution brings with it a new set of opportunities, but also ethical, legal, and corporate considerations."

More importantly, Combacau is confident that there will be improvement from an ethical perspective. 

“Eventually this will enable generative models to be, at least partly, run on cameras with high-quality results. At the same time the models are improving in quality with regards to ethical aspects, bias, hallucinations, and the risk of making the wrong decisions.    

Combacau also added that Axis body-worn cameras are designed for versatility, durability, and ease of use, making them ideal for police forces and critical sectors. Key features include seamless integration via an open API, live video streaming, and military-grade hardware for demanding environments. With advanced cybersecurity measures, cost-effective end-to-end solutions, and user-friendly functionality, Axis cameras ensure high-quality performance and secure data management without proprietary lock-ins or recurring fees.

2025 trends

When speaking of key trends and growth opportunities for the security industry in 2025, Combacau said, “Some of the trends we can expect are really just evolutions of those we’ve seen in previous years. An obvious one is the continued interest in how AI will be applied in our sector, and we’ve highlighted some of the new considerations that will need to be addressed moving forwards.

“Regulation is another area of focus for the industry this year. National and regional legislators will once again try to keep pace with technological innovation. AI, cybersecurity, privacy, the need for resilience in critical entities; all these (and more) will be the focus of proposed and new regulation. We haven’t highlighted this as a specific trend, but it’s no less a priority and something every organisation will need to respond to. 

“Advances in analytics and AI mean that a higher resolution image will inevitably lead to a better result, whatever the use case. Object recognition will be more accurate and more detailed data (and metadata) created. The drive towards even better image quality has been reignited. 

“With this has come opportunities for efficiency as well as effectiveness. A single camera producing much higher image quality can cover as large an area as multiple cameras would have been needed for previously. Higher resolution images also support analytics, for instance in large crowds, busy traffic intersections, or fast-moving production lines."

Energy companies are increasing their investments in cybersecurity. (Image source: DNV)

Energy companies are boosting investment in cybersecurity, seeing it as the greatest current threat to their business, according to DNV Cyber’s latest Energy Cyber Priority report

Two in three energy professionals (65%) say their leadership views cybersecurity as the greatest current risk to their business, according to the report, with 71% expecting their company to increase investment in cybersecurity this year.

Energy companies are making progress in cybersecurity, with growing attention being paid to employee training and securing operational (OT systems). Challenges remain, however, as the energy transition creates new attack opportunities, threat actors become more sophisticated and digital technologies potentially increase exposure to cyber risk.

Of the 375 energy professionals surveyed globally for the research, three-quarters (75%) report that their organisation has stepped up the focus on cybersecurity because of growing geopolitical tensions over the last year, with the threat from cyber-criminal gangs and malicious insiders becoming increasing concerns.

“Achieving the energy transition is central to society at large. The whole energy sector – companies and governments alike – are working together on this massive challenge, which is increasingly complex because the technologies underpinning the transition are largely digital and scaling rapidly. With this comes cybersecurity risks,” said Ditlev Engel, CEO, Energy Systems at DNV. “Cybersecurity should be a priority for all players in the energy sector to achieve the climate goals and guarantee energy security, as geopolitics make the world more hostile and uncertain.”

“Even as the energy industry becomes more mature in its cybersecurity posture, it must continue to strengthen and adapt to remain resilient against a growing number of increasingly sophisticated threats. From attacks on supply chains, recruitment of malicious insiders, and the use of AI, adversaries are upping their game and the energy industry needs to keep up,” said Auke Huistra, director of Industrial and OT Cybersecurity at DNV Cyber.

Five challenges

DNV Cyber’s new report argues that energy companies must double their cybersecurity efforts to overcome five principal challenges:
• securing physical infrastructure, to protect against increasing attacks on OT Systems;
• overcoming complex cybersecurity supply chains, as threat actors go to suppliers and sub-suppliers to gain access to companies operating large assets, and 34% of those surveyed suspecting undisclosed breaches among their suppliers.
• increasing employee vigilance, as adversaries are constantly changing their approach and targeting employees with more sophisticated tactics
• embedding new skills in the workforce to prepare for more sophisticated attacks and address skills and knowledge gaps; and
• embracing AI: while 47% of cybersecurity professionals fear they will fall behind unless they harness AI, generative AI enables cyber criminals to launch more convincing scams. Two-thirds of energy professionals (66%) agree that attackers’ use of AI in phishing attacks has made it more difficult to determine whether emails are genuine. 

“To further strengthen their cybersecurity, energy companies should – as a priority – broaden their efforts to secure OT and support greater security and transparency in the supply chain,” said Huistra. “They should reset and redesign cyber’s relationship with the business, take a more innovative approach to training, and build understanding of AI.”