Equate Petrochemical Co, a venture between Dow Chemical and Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC) of Kuwait, plans to capture 450 tonnes of carbon dioxide daily from its existing facilities starting 2012.

“This will be the first project that Kuwait could rely on in claiming credits as part of the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism,” Hamad al Terkait, chief executive officer of Equate, told reporters at the Equate site in Shuaiba, south of Kuwait City.

Equate will supply the CO2 to Greencarbon Co, a local partner in the project, which it will use for downstream industries such as beverages and food, Abdullah Al Massoud, projects execution manager, Equate said.

Kuwait is the latest among Arabian Gulf oil Company producers to start a carbon capture project. Abu Dhabi National Oil Co has started a pilot project to inject the gas in oilfields, and Saudi Arabia is also planning a venture.

Once the project starts, Kuwait may join Qatar and the UAE in seeking credits for alternative energy projects from the UN.

Al Massoud said the company plans to cut down its carbon dioxide emissions to zero in the next phase, without giving a timeframe.

The CO2 capture project will cost $65 million, Nafisi Al Nafisi, vice chairman and managing director of Greencarbon, said.