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Energy diversification allowed UAE to battle regional challenges, says minister
Sohail Al Mazrouei says the previous decade's efficiency will no longer be enough, and stresses the need for reduction of loss during transmission, more clean energy sources
- PUBLISHED: Tue 1 Sept 2026, 12:07 PM UPDATED: Tue 1 Sept 2026, 6:19 PM
Despite the geopolitical tensions, Sohail Al Mazrouei, the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, called it the “year of resilience,” saying “This year could be seen as a year of challenge, but we see it as a year of resilience.”
“Under the geopolitical changes that we're seeing in the region, the importance of this diversification and the importance of resilience in the whole system, from the generation to the distribution, is very important,” he added.
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Push for cleaner energy sources
The UAE minister said that the world needs more electricity in the future, adding that there needs to be a push in reducing losses in energy transmission. Al Mazrouei reiterated that the previous decade’s efficiency “does not work anymore.”
He explained that the Gulf region will need more electricity, especially with regards to cleaner forms of energy like renewables and solar power.
“This diversification toward cleaner forms of energy will continue, not because we are biased, but because it makes sense,” he said during the opening speech at Middle East Energy on Tuesday.
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During the speech, the minister also announced it will adjust its clean energy targets for the year 2030-2031 to 35 per cent of all energy, in an effort to diversify its energy sources.
The UAE, as well as the wider region, is in a unique position when it comes to generating electricity through solar power. The country is home to the world’s largest single-site solar power plant, Al Dhafra Solar PV, which produces 5 gigawatts or solar, supported by 19.5GW of batteries.
The minister highlighted how this solar park will deliver uninterrupted, around-the-clock solar power.
Middle East Energy celebrated its 50th anniversary on Tuesday, which was attended and inaugurated by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group and Al Mazrouei, the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure.
Hind Aldah is a business reporter based in Sharjah. In her spare time, you will find her playing classical guitar, painting amateur oil paintings, or crocheting the same old scarf that leads nowhere.