Hassan El-Houjeiri
Principal Fellow, Climate and Sustainability
KAPSARC
Dr. El-Houjeiri is a Principal Fellow in Climate and Sustainability at KAPSARC. He has over 15 years of experience in energy systems and climate policy. He previously held leadership roles at Saudi Aramco, Shell, and Stanford University. His work focuses on life cycle assessment, decarbonization strategies, and energy traceability. He has contributed to global frameworks such as ICAO’s CORSIA and published in leading journals including Science and Nature. Dr. El-Houjeiri holds a Ph.D. in Engineering Science from Oxford University.
Participates in
TECHNICAL PROGRAMME | Energy Technologies
Advancing the Circular Economy & Value of Life Cycle Analyses
Forum 22 | Digital Poster Plaza 4
29
April
14:00
16:00
UTC+3
The Middle East remains a dominant global energy exporter, producing approximately 31.1% of the world's crude oil and 17.9% of global natural gas in 2024 [1], placing it at the forefront of global climate-energy dialogues. This study provides a novel, engineering-based life-cycle assessment (LCA) of the well-to-refinery entrance gate or regasification terminal carbon intensity (CI) for major Middle Eastern export products, including but not limited to Saudi Arab Light crude, Qatar LNG, Kuwait Export crude, among others. Adapting established open-source models (e.g., OPGEE [2]) alongside proprietary datasets such as Rystad UCube [3], we quantify CI—expressed in kgCO₂e/boe—across upstream extraction, processing, and midstream transportation stages to key markets. Publicly available datasets, peer-reviewed scientific literature, and commercial datasets are leveraged to capture asset-level variability, operational efficiencies, methane leakage, and transport emissions.
Beyond establishing baseline CI values, this study constructs cargo-level decarbonization cost curves, quantifying the incremental cost (USD/boe) associated with varying levels of decarbonization (up to 100%). Mitigation strategies assessed include flaring reduction, methane management, operational electrification, and carbon capture and storage (CCS). The analysis specifically addresses compatibility with voluntary carbon market (VCM) eligibility criteria, assessing alignment with international standards including ISO 14040/67 [4, 5], and identifies gaps within current VCM protocols. Consequently, best-practice guidelines for conducting petroleum LCAs within a low-carbon trading framework are proposed.
This research aims to provide exporters, buyers, and policymakers with actionable insights into credible low-carbon cargo branding and pricing, particularly in anticipation of European carbon border adjustment mechanisms. By elucidating both carbon intensity metrics and the economic feasibility of decarbonization measures, the findings support the Middle East region's strategic transition toward sustainable export practices and proactive engagement in the global low-carbon energy economy.
References
Beyond establishing baseline CI values, this study constructs cargo-level decarbonization cost curves, quantifying the incremental cost (USD/boe) associated with varying levels of decarbonization (up to 100%). Mitigation strategies assessed include flaring reduction, methane management, operational electrification, and carbon capture and storage (CCS). The analysis specifically addresses compatibility with voluntary carbon market (VCM) eligibility criteria, assessing alignment with international standards including ISO 14040/67 [4, 5], and identifies gaps within current VCM protocols. Consequently, best-practice guidelines for conducting petroleum LCAs within a low-carbon trading framework are proposed.
This research aims to provide exporters, buyers, and policymakers with actionable insights into credible low-carbon cargo branding and pricing, particularly in anticipation of European carbon border adjustment mechanisms. By elucidating both carbon intensity metrics and the economic feasibility of decarbonization measures, the findings support the Middle East region's strategic transition toward sustainable export practices and proactive engagement in the global low-carbon energy economy.
References
- Energy Institute. Statistical Review of World Energy 2024.
- El-Houjeiri, H. M., Brandt, A. R., & Duffy, J. E. (2013). Oil Production Greenhouse gas Emissions Estimator (OPGEE): bottom-up LCA tool. Environmental Science & Technology, 47(11), 5998-6006.
- Rystad Energy. UCube Database, 2024.
- ISO 14040:2006 - Environmental management — Life cycle assessment — Principles and framework.
- ISO 14067:2018 - Greenhouse gases — Carbon footprint of products.
