Abu Dhabi announces 9 projects to support UAE’s ambitious Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative

The Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE) on Friday announced nine new projects that will contribute to the UAE's Net Zero by 2050 Strategic initiative.

The planned projects, along with existing ones, are expected to reduce CO2 emissions from power generation and water production in Abu Dhabi by at least 50% over 10 years. Abu Dhabi is expected to cut power generation emissions from 40 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2020 to approximately 20 million tonnes in 2025, said Eng. Awaidha Al Marar, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy.

Al Marar said, "Building on a 15-year track record of climate innovation and the UAE’s enduring support for the Paris Climate Agreement, our commitment is underpinned by a strategic shift to low-carbon technologies with large-scale investment in solar and nuclear energy to drive down emissions. For instance, Abu Dhabi has developed a world-class sustainability investment vehicle through the launch of Masdar City in 2008 as one of the world’s first carbon-neutral developments. Since then, we have taken the lead regionally in deploying renewable energy.

"Our 1.2GW Noor Abu Dhabi Solar PV plant has increased the share of renewables in our energy mix to six percent of the emirate’s total installed capacity in 2021, and the launch of the first reactor of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in 2020 has also increased the share of carbon-free energy production in the emirate’s energy mix to 7 per cent in 2021.

"With more upcoming renewable deployments like Abu Dhabi’s 2GW Al Dhafra Solar PV project due by 2023, as well as the baseload nuclear energy expected upon full operation of the Barakah plant, the total clean power generation capacity in the emirate will reach 8.8GW in 2025. That increases the share of clean energy capacity in the energy mix to 31 percent by 2025 from 13 per cent in 2021."

Al Marar added, "With these solar and nuclear projects, it could influence electricity generation by 2025 to be seven percent produced from solar PV sources and 47 per cent from nuclear power.
"This means 55 percent of Abu Dhabi’s electricity in 2025 will be generated from clean sources and can cut power generation emissions from 40 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2020 to approximately 20 million tonnes in 2025."

The DoE is a partner of the whole-of-country, whole-of-government UAE Net Zero by 2050 Initiative led by the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment which reflects the "Principles of the 50" - the UAE’s roadmap for accelerating development that was launched in September to mark the country’s Golden Jubilee.

The UAE Initiative comprises key existing and planned projects from Abu Dhabi’s energy sector that could drive total emission reductions of more than 29 million tonnes per year by 2030. These include:

Noor Abu Dhabi Solar PV plant projected to avoid up to 1 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year

Barakah Nuclear Power Plant to avoid 21 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year

Al Dhafra 2GW Single Site Solar PV Plant which could reduce 2.4 million tonnes of CO2 emissions

Two additional solar projects with a combined capacity of 2GW and potential to avoid 2.6 million tonnes of CO2 emissions

Two waste-to-energy plants in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain are expected to help reduce 2.4 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Additionally, Abu Dhabi is contributing a new planned water production electrification project to support the energy transition and ensure that the UAE Net Zero ambition becomes a reality in the future.

Commenting on the importance of decarbonising the water sector, Al Marar said, "Water is a vital resource and a national priority to cover the present and future water demands of our population, maintain our food security, and sustain our economic growth.

"Four of our current desalination plants in Abu Dhabi utilise RO technology and represent 24 percent of the emirate’s desalinated water production in 2021. This share is expected to grow to 43 percent by 2025 as new RO projects are implemented including the Al Taweelah RO desalination facility which is expected to be the largest in the world with a combined production capacity of 200 MIGD and the potential to avoid 1.2 million CO2 emissions per year.