UAE succeeds in taking measures to address environmental issues

Business Bureau, Gulf Today

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and President of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) inaugurated on Sunday the 6th World Green Economy Summit (WGES 2019) at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. WGES is organised by Dewa and World Green Economy Organisation (WGEO).

The opening ceremony was attended by Azali Assoumani, President of the Comoros, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Chairman of WGES, Ban Ki-moon, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations; François Hollande, Former President of France; Felipe Calderón, Former President of Mexico; Julia Gillard, Former Prime Minister of Australia, Ovais Sarmad, Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

“The sixth World Green Economy Summit (WGES), is held under the wise leadership of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and under the patronage and insightful directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The sixth World Green Economy Summit’s theme is ‘Innovative Technologies for a Sustainable Economy,’ and derives its agenda from  His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum forward-thinking directives to balance economic growth with the sustainability of natural and environmental resources. This supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030, UAE Centennial 2071, UAE Vision 2021, UAE Green Agenda 2030, Dubai Plan 2021, and Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050. Within this framework, our achievements, projects and initiatives continue to strengthen the UAE’s pioneering position in the use of clean and renewable energy globally,” said Saeed Al Tayer in his keynote speech.

“The UAE has succeeded in taking effective measures to address environmental challenges and climate change, by launching pioneering clean energy projects, especially solar power. Recently, the world’s biggest solar photovoltaic plant of 1,177MW Noor Abu Dhabi at Sweihan in Abu Dhabi was commissioned on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model,” he added. “Dubai continues its work by building the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park to achieve the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050. This will be the largest single-site solar park in the world, which will have a capacity of 5,000 megawatts by 2030, generated from a range of photovoltaic and concentrated solar power technologies.”

“This year’s summit will focus on three key pillars: Sustainable Development Mechanisms; International Cooperation to support the Green Economy System; and Adoption of Green Innovative Solutions,” Al Tayer added. “Under the guidance of our wise leadership, we are sparing no effort to make Dubai a global hub for green economy and a sustainable economy, a role model in clean energy by leveraging on the Fourth Industrial Revolution to use innovative disruptive technologies.”

“To ensure the availability of clean solar power around the clock, we are keeping pace with the global growth in energy storage. According to the Wood Mackenzie Energy Storage 2019 report, the global energy storage market will expand 13-fold in six years to reach 158 GWh by 2024. Dubai supports this comprehensive approach through innovative energy and sustainability projects. We are building the largest single-site Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) investment project in the world within the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. Based on the IPP model, the project will include the construction of the world’s tallest 260-metre solar tower and the world’s largest global thermal storage capacity of 15 hours; allowing for energy availability round the clock.”

Al Tayer added: “We are also constructing the first in the GCC region Pumped-Storage hydroelectric power plant on Hatta Dam, using solar power for pumping and storage. The plant will store up to 1500 megawatt hours. This is in addition to the Green Hydrogen Project, the first solar-powered green hydrogen electrolysis facility in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This project uses clean energy to produce green hydrogen that will be stored and deployed for different uses.”

HE Al Tayer added: “His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the World Green Economy Organisation (WGEO) in 2016 with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) during the third edition of the World Green Economy Summit (WGES) to move the transition towards a green economy and to support its projects across the world. It also aims to back countries and organisations to help them achieve their green strategies and plans. We are confidently moving forward in accordance with key strategies to establish the green transformation, and this year has been packed with numerous achievements. Today we announce the inauguration with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat, of the Regional Collaboration Centre (RCC) dedicated to provide technical and knowledge direct support to governments, non-government organizations and the private sector in the MENA region.”