The UAE has recently announced its plans to invest €153bn into a new energy diversification program.
The nation hopes, through this investment, to generate more than half its energy from renewable sources by 2050. Discover how ENGIE is active in the region.
The UAE is working towards sourcing its energy renewably, a huge feat considering that this Gulf nation currently ranks eighth on the worldwide list of per capita greenhouse gas emissions. ENGIE is taking part of a global movement for a more sustainable and low-carbon future in power generation, energy efficiency, solar and green mobility.
The UAE’s Renewable Energy Promise
UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bib Rashid al-Maktoum says that he hopes that by 2050, 44 percent of the country’s energy needs will come from renewable energy sources.
The UAE had already set a 5 percent growth target for its non-oil economy as part of the Vision 2021 program.
United Arab Emirates: A Transition from Fossil Fuel to Clean Energy
The United Arab Emirates is currently one of the largest consumers of electricity in the world, and demand for energy continues to increase, with a projected growth rate of 40 percent by 2020. This commitment could therefore have a prodigious impact, not only on energy usage in the region, but on the global average.
This is particularly true given the country’s longtime reliance on fossil fuels. The country currently ranks eighth on the worldwide list of per capita greenhouse gas emissions, and official statements say that the nation is interested in reducing its reliance on fossil fuels to 12 percent by 2050.
The nation – and the Gulf region on the whole – have a particular propensity for solar power, particularly given the advances in this sector of late. A transition to solar in the UAE is likely to reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly.
Efforts towards the transition to renewable energy sources have already been made in Dubai; in June 2016, the city announced its intention to complete construction of a massive solar plant before 2030.
ENGIE in the United Arab Emirates
ENGIE has been active in the United Arab Emirates for quite some time now and is currently the leading private developer of energy and water services in the region, with a presence in the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Recently, ENGIE started construction of the Fadhili independent power project, its fourth project in the Kingdom and the most efficient cogeneration plant to date in the country.
The group has a 20 percent stake in six power and seawater desalinization plants in the UAE, operating a total production capacity of 8.8 GW (on 18 GW of total production in the country) and 2.5 million m3/day of desalinization. It has also been involved in liquefied natural gas (LNG) distribution since August 2013, when it delivered its first LGN carrier in Dubai.
ENGIE energy services in the UAE have included the development of technical maintenance operations and facility management in the Persian Gulf since 2008, through Cofely Besix Facility Management. CBFM is a leading regional facilities manager serving high profile customers such as Masdar City & Institute, Abu Dhabi Ports Company, Emirates SkyCargo, Aldar Properties, Emaar Properties (incl. Dubai Mall and Fountains), Al Sufouh Tramway, etc.
ENGIE Supports Solar Power and Green Mobility
As an active member of the Middle East Solar Industry Association, ENGIE actively supports the dialogue between the public and private sectors in order to implement a solid market framework for solar projects, both for Photovoltaic (PV) and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) tenders. In January 2017, during the first Emirates Electric Vehicle Road Trip, ENGIE promoted charging stations solutions as a contribution to the creation of an infrastructure for electric vehicles in the UAE.