H.E. Awaidha Murshed Al Marar, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy said: “The announcement of the UAE net zero by 2050 strategic initiative is a significant milestone that reflects long-term dedication to sustainable economic development and to the tenets of the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
“We at the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy are delighted to be a part of this multi-stakeholder initiative where several key sectors driving the UAE’s socio-economic agenda act together and take strategic decisions to shape our future through the next 50 years.
“As the world shifts to cleaner sources of energy and a decarbonized economy, the UAE net zero initiative will provide us with precision and boost our efforts to accelerate the energy transition while contributing to the fight against climate change.
“Over more than a decade, Abu Dhabi has achieved remarkable results in deploying clean energy and implementing energy efficiency measures – two fundamental components of our energy transition and key to achieving national climate mitigation and sustainable development goals. For instance, with our solar PV projects, including the flagship 1,177 MW Noor Abu Dhabi and the 2GW Al Dhafra single-site solar PV plant as well as the Barakah peaceful nuclear power plant, we expect the emirate’s electricity in 2025 to be almost 7% from solar and 47% from nuclear. This means, in just five years Abu Dhabi will be producing almost 55% of its electricity from clean sources, halving the CO2 emissions associated with the power sector.
“Moreover, the Abu Dhabi Demand Side Management and Energy Efficiency Strategy is already in action and anticipated to reduce the emirate’s electricity consumption by 22% and water consumption by 32% by 2030, avoiding the emission of more than 9 million tons of CO2 from the atmosphere.
“Such rigorous initiatives to building clean energy capacity are backed by forward-looking policies and a flexible regulatory framework that we continuously optimize to steer the energy sector’s transformation into a system that enables socio-economic growth, ensures secure and affordable supply, and promotes environmental sustainability.
“The UAE net zero announcement creates momentum for us ahead of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow next month and cements our state’s position as a major contributor to the global effort to reduce the impacts of climate change. We embrace our role in fast-tracking a green transition that capitalizes on economic growth and environmental protection and will continue to leverage our resources and initiatives to provide sustainable energy and water solutions that benefit our emirate, our nation and the world we live in.”
