Houston is just as excited as Woodside Energy about their recent technology collaboration. In January, Woodside Energy and Rice University executives welcomed a capacity crowd at the Ion, spanning industry, government, and academia, for the official launch of the Woodside-Rice Decarbonisation Accelerator. Woodside is contributing US$12.5 million to this initiative over the next five years, aiming to bring breakthrough decarbonisation technology from Rice labs to market.
This strategic agreement with Rice marks Woodside’s first research and development collaboration with a university in the United States. This partnership presents an opportunity to enhance the Houston innovation ecosystem by integrating Rice’s expertise in nanomaterials and chemistry with Woodside’s operational experience. Together, they aim to tackle greenhouse gases at scale.
Daniel Kalms, Woodside’s executive vice president of Technical Services, emphasized that “Houston, as the world’s energy capital, is perfectly positioned to help develop the breakthrough technologies needed for the energy transition.” Tony Almond, Woodside’s Vice President of Technology, echoed this sentiment, noting that the partnership with Rice offers a unique opportunity to leverage Houston’s robust innovation ecosystem. Almond highlighted the importance of focusing on commercial pathways to technology deployment, leveraging the resources and capabilities at the city’s Greentown Labs and the Ion District for scalable testing and prototyping of technologies emerging from Rice Labs.
Rice University plans to leverage cold plasma technology, a unique approach to breaking down carbon dioxide, with a focus on manufacturing products derived from captured carbon dioxide and methane. These products have potential applications in making better batteries, transistors, and other critical materials for energy technologies. Jitendra Joshi, Head of Carbon Products and Alternative Fuels at Woodside, remarked, “The exciting part about carbon capture and utilisation technologies is that they look at greenhouse gases as an opportunity and a resource, not just a challenge.”
Woodside CEO Meg O’Neill added, “Net Zero is not a destination but a journey. Over the next 10 years, emerging and breakthrough technologies must come to market if society is to meet its climate goals. We are proud to work with a world-class university like Rice to help meet that challenge.”
The Accelerator will be led by Paul Cherukuri, vice president of Innovation at Rice University, and Aditya Mohite, Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Materials Science and Nanoengineering. Within Woodside, the Technology & Innovation and New Energy teams will oversee the research and development efforts in collaboration with the Rice team. Joining the oversight committee for the Woodside-Rice Decarbonisation Accelerator are Tony Almond, VP Technology and Innovation; Maria Gonzalez-Perez, VP strategic planning and portfolio; and Jitendra Joshi, head of carbon products and alternative fuels.
For more information visit www.woodside.com
