Dubai launches Circular Economy Committee to strengthen growth

The Dubai Supreme Council of Energy has launched the Circular Economy Committee to bring public and private entities together to support the circular economy.

The Committee will develop actionable initiatives to upscale current applications and introduce best international practices in circular economies.

“The UAE attaches great importance to achieving sustainable and effective use of natural resources by transitioning to a green economy and increasing the share of clean and renewable energy sources. The UAE Circular Economy Policy identifies the country’s priorities in terms of a circular economy. Priorities include infrastructure, sustainable transportation, manufacturing, food production and consumption,” Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, said.

Al Tayer stated that the Committee aims to encourage investment in the circular economy and propose viable suggestions that support the upscaling of current applications and best international practices in this regard. This achieves economic growth while protecting the environment and ensuring the sustainability of natural resources.

“We aim to develop and launch innovative tools and initiatives in collaboration with our strategic partners to promote the adoption of the circular economy model across different sectors and ensure its application according to methodologies that link all effective players. We also strive to support start-ups and develop the capabilities of entrepreneurs in this vital sector in addition to encouraging the utilisation of modern technologies capabilities by enhancing the efficiency of natural resources and promoting sustainable practices to reuse resources, reduce waste, limit carbon emissions, and build a better future for generations to come,” he added.

Ahmad Buti Al Muhairbi, Secretary-General of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Chairman of the Energy Demand Side Management Executive Committee, chaired the Circular Economy Committee kick-off meeting. Members included representatives from Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Dubai Municipality, Dubai Economy, Dubai Science Park, Emaar Properties, and Diamond Developers.

“We are pleased with the response to suggestions discussed in the first meeting of the Circular Economy Committee. We already see several excellent examples of circularity that can be scaled up across Dubai. The Committee discussed the report on the State of Circular Economy that was reviewed and aligned with the UAE Circular Economy Policy. The Committee discussed some examples of global best practices, with next steps in developing initiatives and tools to support further the circular economy across different sectors in Dubai,” Al Muhairbi said.

A circular economy is an economic system that focuses on reducing the extraction of natural resources, minimising waste, and regenerate natural systems. In a circular economy, raw materials, components and products keep their value for as long as possible, while renewable energy sources are used

Last month, Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, has chaired the Council’s 66th meeting, which was conducted online. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, also took part.

Other attendees included Ahmed Buti Al Muhairbi, Secretary General of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, Dawood Al Hajiri, Director General of Dubai Municipality; Abdulla bin Kalban, Managing Director of Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA); Saif Humaid Al Falasi, CEO of Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC); Frederick Chemin, General Manager of Dubai Petroleum; and Nasser Abu Shehab, CEO of the Strategy & Corporate Governance Sector at the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA).

The meeting covered several topics including the commissioning of the first stage of the fifth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, with a capacity of 300MW, while the phase with all stages will reach 900-megawatt (MW) capacity with investments of Dhs2.058 billion.

The meeting also discussed activities of the Association of District Cooling Operators, which is the first of its kind in the region and aims to enhance the efficiency of district cooling operations and optimise water and energy resources.

The meeting also discussed the impact of COVID-19, which contributed to reducing 4.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gases in Dubai in 2020, compared to 2019.

“In line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to promote sustainable development, we have a clear strategy and specific targets in Dubai to increase the share of renewable and clean energy in Dubai’s energy mix. One of our key projects to achieve this is the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world with a planned capacity of 5,000MW by 2030,” said Al Tayer.

“To achieve the directives of the wise leadership and support the UAE’s efforts in combating the effects of global warming and climate change, we discussed the work progress in the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 to provide 75 percent of Dubai’s total power capacity from clean energy sources by 2050; the Dubai Carbon Abatement Strategy to reduce 16 percent of carbon emissions by 2021; and the Demand Side Management Strategy to reduce the electricity and water demand by 30 percent by 2030,” added Al Tayer.

“The Dubai Supreme Council of Energy was eager to document the ideas and efforts by inviting the Association of District Cooling Operators to share their suggestions and initiatives that will have a significant impact on improving the efficiency of operations and increasing the happiness of users in Dubai,” said Al Muhairbi.

“In line with the Dubai Demand Side Management Strategy 2030 and the fourth programme related to the efficiency of central cooling, the Association of District Cooling Operators aims to achieve a balance in central cooling operations through the optimal use of district cooling and adopting efficiency in central cooling operations, in coordination with the concerned authorities. We also work to raise awareness among building owners and end-users in order to achieve the objectives of the Demand Side Management Strategy in Dubai,” said Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower) and President of the District Cooling Operators Association.

The UAE Circular Economy Council held its second meeting of 2021 in August.

Members of the council reviewed the progress made thus far in the implementation of the UAE Circular Economy Policy 2021-2031, and highlighted initiatives from the public and private sector to drive the UAE’s circularity.

In the opening remarks, Dr. Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment and Chair of the UAE Circular Economy Council, said: “Circular Economy is an integral part of the global shift to a green economy that supports sustainable growth. The UAE has initiated a transition to green economy and incorporated its principals in current and future strategies. To drive efforts in this area, the UAE Circular Economy Policy 2021-2031 was approved earlier this year as a framework that identifies the optimal approach to support the transition to a circular economy, and the UAE Circular Economy Council was formed to oversee the integration of circularity across sectors.”

He added: “Following the outcomes of our first meeting, the team remarkably developed multiple programmes and initiatives that support the implementation of the UAE Circular Economy Policy.

The council chose Abdullah Bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, to chair the Expert Committee that is set out to develop the implementation plan of the UAE Circular Economy Policy and related programmes and initiatives. To inform and guide our next steps and with the continuous support of my colleagues in the council and the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre, we are currently designing a set of circular economy KPIs that will measure progress towards achieving the UAE’s priorities outlined in the policy.”

Moreover, the members explored a proposal to launch a Circular Economy Innovation Incubator in collaboration with Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Centre from Italy. The incubator will help create an ecosystem to harness the full potential of technological innovation in circular economy by serving as a dedicated hub for stakeholders from the government, private sector, academia, and innovation networks, as well as start-ups to develop innovative circular economy solutions and promote entrepreneurship in the field.

WAM