Abu Dhabi: The UAE, under the leadership of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, will always be a global leader in clean energy generation, said His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
“This is in order to preserve our local environment and achieve sustainable, low-cost development,” Shaikh Mohammad added.
Shaikh Mohammad made these remarks on Wednesday while visiting the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) 2018, the largest sustainability gathering in the Middle East.
“The existence of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) in the UAE is the best evidence that we are at the forefront of countries implementing giant projects in clean and renewable energy field. The UAE has been able to win the votes of the world when it was nominated for hosting Irena, which is globally concerned with finding innovative solutions to ensure the provision of sustainable energy and new sources of water in different parts of the world,” Shaikh Mohammad said.
The Vice-President toured various pavilions at the exhibition taking place at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), from January 13 to 20, with the participation of over 600 public and private sector organisations from across 40 countries.
Shaikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Council; Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs; Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chief Executive of Emirates airline and Group; Dr Sultan Bin Ahmad Al Jaber, Minister of State and chairman of Masdar; Mohammad Ebrahim AI Shaibani, Director-General of Dubai Ruler’s Court; Khalifa Saeed Sulaiman, Director-General of the Department of Protocol and Hospitality in Dubai, and a number of officials accompanied Shaikh Mohammed during the tour.
Shaikh Mohammad was briefed by various officials and representatives on the latest innovations and alternative solutions to generate sustainable and clean energy, as well as the latest developments on clean water innovation technologies.
During the tour, he praised the great efforts and leading ideas of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, adding that Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week is a great place for thought leaders and experts in the field to come together to discuss and develop clean and sustainable energy sources.
Shaikh Mohammad described the ADSW as the global platform that attracted national and international entities specialised in the generation of clean and sustainable energy away from the traditional oil derivatives currently used in the operation of power plants and desalination.
Shaikh Mohammad began his tour at the exhibition by inspecting the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment’s pavilion where he was briefed about the latest developments in the field of protecting the environment in the UAE. He then visited Masdar’s pavilion and inspected the electric car that it displays as well as the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority’s pavilion, which also showcases its current and future projects for renewable energy generation by solar energy, the most important of which is the Mohammed Bin Rashid Solar Park. He also visited Abu Dhabi Electricity and Water Authority’s pavilion and learnt about its latest projects being implemented in the field of clean energy.
Shaikh Mohammad expressed his satisfaction at the success of ADSW, which is being considered as one of the world’s most prestigious events, and congratulated Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed for it.
