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Dubai seeks to cut energy use by 30%

“Dubai is concerned with all activities related to energy sustainability. This can be clearly seen through our adopting various important initiatives that conserve resources and promote sustainability and the protection of the environment,” he said.

Al Tayer said that the UAE has long-recognised the importance of sustainable energy solutions.

“In 2011, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, initiated the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 — a long-term national programme which outlines plans to secure a sustainable supply of energy and enhance demand and efficiency of water, power, and fuel. The Dubai Supreme Council of Energy has been tasked with planning and coordinating with concerned authorities and governing bodies to deliver new energy sources while employing a balanced approach to protecting the environment,” said Al Tayer.

He said Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 seeks to diversify sources of energy, reduce energy consumption in Dubai by 30 per cent by 2030, and divert from fossil-fuel energy to eco-friendly sources.

By 2030, Dubai plans to have natural gas generate 70 per cent of overall energy, while the remainder 12 per cent would rely on clean coal and nuclear power, and five per cent will be derived from renewable resources, such as solar energy, said Al Tayer.

Discussion on the second day of the World Energy Forum centered on the broad concept of a “Green Economy” — a sustainable economic model that generates economic growth and prosperity. The discussion at a ministerial roundtable also revolved around whether such a model was realistically applicable, and the different ways that governments and the private sectors can better transition towards a more sustainable, knowledge-based economy.

The session was presided by Ambassador Carlos Pascual, chairman of the Bureau of Resources and special envoy and coordinator for International Energy Affairs at the United States State Department, and was attended by M. Arnaud Montebourg, Minister of Industrial Renewal in France; Arak Chonlatanon, Minister of Energy of the Kingdom of Thailand; Erick Estuardo Archila Dehesa; Minister of Energy and Mining of the Republic of Guatemala; Fatmir Mediiu, Minister of Environment, Forestry and Water Administration of the Republic of Albania; Alemayehu Tegenu, Minister for Water and Energy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; and Stanislas Kamanzi, Minister of Environment of Rwanda.

Participants discussed economic growth and the challenges sustainability faces, given the pressing need for investments in the water and hydroelectricity sectors. Participating ministers also discussed ways in which the public and private sectors can advance the quest for sustainability, and examined the challenges and risks that need to be resolved when setting legislation to facilitate investments in this field.

Montebourg said that there is no doubt that the world faces many natural challenges, thus creating the need for finding individual solutions that aid in providing 1.5 billion people globally with the electricity they lack, and boost water resources.

He said France has taken the decision to make green growth a central part of its policy. The first goal of this strategy was to put restrictions on various sectors to reduce their carbon footprint; the second goal was to create jobs in the field of green economy.

— issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com