The Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) has partnered with Partanna, a Bahamian climate tech company, to establish its regional headquarters and a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in the UAE capital.

This collaboration, announced during the inaugural Abu Dhabi Business Week (ADBW), held recently, will establish the emirate as the regional epicentre for carbon-negative building materials, creating new possibilities for global sustainability.

The agreement will support Partanna’s ambitions to decarbonise the $400 billion global cement industry by facilitating the company’s establishment of large-scale manufacturing operations in Abu Dhabi to service the regional market.

As part of the collaboration, Partanna will produce Verra-certified carbon credits, supporting the reduction of carbon emissions in alignment with Abu Dhabi’s climate goals.

Cement production accounts for nearly nine per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions, and traditional manufacturing methods remain among the most significant contributors to climate change.

Partanna pointed out that its modern reinterpretation of cement offers an innovative, scalable solution.

By replacing carbon-intensive clinkering with magnesium compounds derived from brine – a by-product of desalination – Partanna turns a waste stream into a valuable resource while producing a cost-competitive product, it stated.

Under the agreement, Partanna’s new facility in Abu Dhabi will convert waste brine into carbon-negative cement, not only neutralising emissions but also actively removing CO2 from the atmosphere, transforming concrete into a carbon sink.

Complying with international building standards, Partanna cement is compatible with reinforced steel and shows improved strength in saltwater conditions.

The new Abu Dhabi facility will produce up to three million tonnes of Partanna binder annually – equivalent to 10 per cent of the UAE’s cement market – while setting the stage for expansion across the region and beyond.

By achieving this output, Partanna would achieve the same positive carbon impact as the Borneo Rainforest, offsetting approximately 7.98 million metric tonnes of CO2 annually.

According to ADIO, the Abu Dhabi facility will act as Partanna’s flagship operation and regional headquarters, designed as a franchisable model to replicate worldwide, enabling rapid adoption in other high-growth regions.