UAE targets clean projects at 50% of energy mix by 2050

The UAE aims to increase clean projects’ share of its energy mix to 50 per cent by 2050, state news agency Wam cited its energy minister as saying on Sunday.

Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, also said the Gulf state would start revising its energy strategy at the beginning of 2023 to align it with the goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050.

The minister also confirmed that the ministry intends to start the first review of the energy strategy at the beginning of next year 2023 in line with the UAE strategic initiative to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 in order to explore more solutions and plans that help achieve this goal.

In an interview with the Emirates News Agency (Wam) on the occasion of the launch of the 'Adipec 2022' exhibition and conference on October 31, 2022 in Abu Dhabi, Al Mazrouei said the review of the energy strategy includes the expansion of renewable energy and the implementation of new projects in areas such as hydrogen energy, hydropower and waste-to-energy conversion, while studying the solutions that it can be followed with regard to traditional methods of producing electricity to explore the possibility of adopting carbon dioxide capture in parallel with studying the economic cost of that.

"The world has witnessed remarkable changes in recent years with regard to the climate, and the review of the energy strategy will contribute to determining the optimal mix for the UAE to achieve supply security and reach climate neutrality by 2050," he said.

The minister explained that the volume of electricity production capacity currently amounts to about 35 gigawatts distributed It will increase in the various regions of the country and will rise in the coming years with the entry of many new projects at full capacity, such as the Barakah Peaceful Nuclear Energy Plant, the Mohammed bin Rashid Solar Energy Complex , the Al Dhafra Solar Power Plant, the Al Taweelah Water Desalination Plant, and other strategic projects.

Al Mazrouei said that Adipec 2022 is one of the most important global events and a major station for decision-makers, experts and specialists in the global energy sector, as it also includes holding more than 350 dialogue sessions in which more than 1,200 speakers, including a large number of ministers, CEOs and decision-makers, will participate.

On the success of Adipec as a platform that charts the future of the energy sector from the UAE, the minister said that Adipec is a global platform that brings together under its umbrella a group of the most prominent leaders of the various energy sectors, policy and decision makers, innovators, ministers and CEOs of oil companies from all over the world. It hosts many of the most prominent national and international oil companies and integrated energy companies, as well as many international pavilions, which provide the ideal platform to stimulate all activities related to the energy sector,” stressing that it is a forum for important events in the oil and gas sector.

Al Mazrouei said that the share of clean energy projects within the service and under construction in the country reaches 24 per cent of the energy mix and that the target is to reach 50 per cent by 2050, and that the UAE government is working to keep pace with the increasing demand for energy through its reliance on natural gas and renewable energy sources.

He pointed out that in 2017, the country launched its 2050 Energy Strategy, which is the first unified energy plan in the country that balances the production and consumption aspects with global environmental obligations and ensures an appropriate economic environment that stimulates growth in all sectors across a mix of renewable, nuclear and hydrocarbons to meet economic needs and environmental goals.

Al Mazrouei said the UAE has launched a roadmap to achieve leadership in the field of hydrogen, which is a major driver that contributes to providing future solutions to global climate change challenges, coinciding with the country's announcement of the strategic initiative for climate neutrality 2050.

"The initiative aims to create an effective ecosystem that establishes a new model for the path of growth. A sustainable economy that promotes research, development, innovation and clean technology, plans and strategies are being developed and the necessary initiatives and projects are being implemented by stakeholders in the key sectors in the UAE, including energy, economy, industry, infrastructure, transportation, waste, agriculture and the environment," he said.

Al Mazrouei said the UAE seeks to support the low-carbon hydrogen industry by creating a clear system supported by policies, incentives, standards and certifications, providing advanced technology through value-added partnerships and an effective national research and development structure, in addition to strengthening existing government partnerships and establishing new ones to accelerate the growth of the local system. Providing infrastructure and land to support local production and providing green financing sources.

He said that the UAE is proceeding with confident steps to achieve global leadership in the field of low-carbon hydrogen, as it is currently working on implementing more than seven ambitious projects, through which it targets 25 per cent of the share in the main export markets, including Japan, South Korea and Germany, in addition to targeting them. "We aspire to be at the forefront of clean hydrogen production with competitive advantages for blue and green hydrogen, and to build large-scale hydrogen and ammonia production facilities."

On the role of technology in shaping the future of the energy sector for the next fifty years, Al Mazrouei stressed that a national programme for energy and water demand management has been developed to target the most consuming sectors in order to reduce demand for energy by 40 per cent per cent and water by 50 per cent by 2050, which contributes to reducing energy and water demand by 40 per cent. Costs in investment and enhances sustainability.

The minister pointed out that the national programme aims to manage the demand for energy and water through the integration of local and federal efforts to ensure the security of supply in the energy and water sectors through plans and programs that have a direct impact in the short, medium and long term.

Al Mazrouei said the concerned authorities are achieving the overall saving targets for the initiatives responsible for their implementation within the framework of the National Energy and Water Demand Program, while providing flexibility in implementing the initiatives in a manner that does not conflict with the local programs and their targets, with the existence of a governance system to facilitate implementation and follow-up of programs in line with the mechanism of the work of the concerned authorities and the Ministry, and a smart platform known as “DSM Portal” has been designed to include all energy and water saving targets in four main sectors: buildings, transport, agriculture and industry, which helps to ensure the achievement of initiatives within the mechanism used in the National Programme for Energy Demand Management The objectives of the national program coincide with the objectives of the local initiatives adopted in each emirate.

Al Mazrouei explained that the program consists of three main axes: “The Energy Axis” and includes initiatives to reduce energy consumption for the three largest energy consuming sectors in the country, namely industry, transportation, and buildings, to reduce energy demand by 40 per cent in 2050. In addition to the “Water axis.” It includes initiatives to reduce water consumption for the largest sectors using water, which is the "agriculture and buildings sector" by 50 per cent in 2050, which contributes to improving the domestic product and enhancing the country's competitiveness in the field of environmental and economic sustainability, as well as the "consumption rationalisation axis", which is a plan for an integrated awareness campaign for consumers Among the target groups are families, students, employees, workers and tourists.

On the future reflection of the use of clean energy on the country’s economy and its positive effects, Al Mazrouei said the UAE achieved an average of 19.63 per cent in the clean energy contribution index for the year 2021, aiming for 50 per cent in 2050 in line with the National Energy Strategy.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

> The first review of the energy strategy includes the expansion of renewable energy and the implementation of new projects.

> The energy strategy contributes to determining the optimal mix for the country to achieve security of supply and reach climate neutrality.

> The UAE hosts world energy leaders during ADIPEC 2022 to discuss energy and climate challenges.

> 35 gigawatts of production capacity of electricity distributed over the various regions of the country.

> 24% of the country's share of clean energy projects in service and under construction from the energy mix.

> Creating an effective ecosystem that establishes a new model for the path of sustainable economic growth.

> The UAE is currently working on implementing more than 7 ambitious projects in the hydrogen field.

> Initiatives to reduce energy consumption for the three largest consuming sectors in the country. — Wam