Abu Dhabi Investment Office Collaborates With Partanna To Decarbonise The Concrete Industry

The Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) has teamed up with Partanna, a climate tech company from the Bahamas, to set up its regional headquarters and a cutting-edge manufacturing plant in Abu Dhabi. This partnership, revealed during the first Abu Dhabi Business Week, aims to make Abu Dhabi a hub for carbon-negative building materials, opening new avenues for global sustainability.

This agreement will help Partanna's goal of reducing carbon emissions in the $400 billion global cement industry. By establishing large-scale manufacturing operations in Abu Dhabi, they aim to serve the regional market effectively. Partanna plans to produce Verra-certified carbon credits, aligning with Abu Dhabi’s climate objectives by reducing carbon emissions.

Cement production is responsible for nearly 9% of global CO₂ emissions. Traditional methods are major contributors to climate change. Partanna offers a modern solution by replacing carbon-heavy clinkering with magnesium compounds from brine, a desalination by-product. This approach turns waste into a valuable resource while remaining cost-effective.

The new facility in Abu Dhabi will convert waste brine into carbon-negative cement. This process not only neutralises emissions but also removes CO₂ from the atmosphere, turning concrete into a carbon sink. Partanna's cement meets international building standards and is compatible with reinforced steel, showing enhanced strength in saltwater conditions.

The facility will produce up to 3 million tonnes of Partanna binder annually, covering about 10% of the UAE’s cement market. This output would have the same positive carbon impact as the Borneo Rainforest, offsetting around 7.98 million metric tonnes of CO₂ each year.

Global Impact and Future Plans

Partanna’s Abu Dhabi facility will serve as its flagship operation and regional headquarters. Designed as a franchisable model for worldwide replication, it allows rapid adoption in other high-growth regions. The collaboration leverages Abu Dhabi’s infrastructure, vast brine resources, ADIO’s industry network, and proximity to regional markets.

Badr Al-Olama from ADIO stated: "At the core of Abu Dhabi’s economic transformation lies innovation. Through strategic partnerships with pioneering companies like Partanna, we are demonstrating that economic growth and environmental responsibility are not mutually exclusive."

Rick Fox, Co-Founder and CEO of Partanna, remarked: "From the Roman Empire to the modern era, great civilisations are built on great materials. Partanna is bringing a new era of cement to the world and there’s no better place to scale our business globally than Abu Dhabi."

Technological Advancements and Market Recognition

Since its inception two years ago, Partanna has gained customers in the UAE, Bahamas, US, and Europe. Earlier this year, TopWerk recognised Partanna's solution as a significant innovation in construction over three decades. Recently, Partanna became only the second concrete company globally to have a project registered by Verra.

With 20,000 desalination plants worldwide and an expected 50% increase by 2035, Partanna's technology offers a scalable solution poised to disrupt the global cement market. As their technology redefines construction materials, Abu Dhabi strengthens its role as a leader in global change.

The facility is set to begin operations in 2025. It will utilise Abu Dhabi’s infrastructure and sustainable energy initiatives while aligning with the emirate's ambitious sustainability commitments.

With inputs from WAM