The Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) has partnered with Partanna, a Bahamian climate tech firm, to establish its regional headquarters and a manufacturing facility in Abu Dhabi. This collaboration, announced at the inaugural Abu Dhabi Business Week, positions Abu Dhabi as a hub for carbon-negative building materials, advancing global sustainability.
The partnership supports Partanna’s goal to decarbonise the global cement industry, valued at $400B, by setting up large-scale production in Abu Dhabi for the regional market. Partanna will also generate Verra-certified carbon credits to help reduce emissions in line with Abu Dhabi’s climate targets.
Cement production accounts for 9% of global CO₂ emissions, with traditional methods being major climate change contributors. Partanna’s solution replaces carbon-intensive clinkering with magnesium compounds from brine, a desalination by-product, turning waste into a valuable resource while offering a cost-competitive product.
The Abu Dhabi facility will convert brine into carbon-negative cement, neutralising emissions and removing CO₂ from the atmosphere. Partanna’s cement, compliant with international standards, is compatible with reinforced steel and stronger in saltwater environments. The facility will produce up to 3 million tonnes annually, representing 10% of the UAE’s cement market, while potentially offsetting 7.98 million metric tonnes of CO₂ each year.
Partanna’s Abu Dhabi facility will serve as its flagship and regional headquarters, designed for replication worldwide. By leveraging Abu Dhabi’s infrastructure, brine resources, and ADIO’s industry network, the collaboration sets a new standard for industrial sustainability.
Rick Fox, Co-Founder and CEO of Partanna, highlighted that with ADIO’s support, the company is building a roadmap to scale globally, demonstrating that sustainable construction is both possible and profitable. The facility, expected to open in 2025, will align with Abu Dhabi’s sustainability initiatives.
