UAE Ministry increases its efforts in supporting low carbon energy sources through a range of initiatives.
To accelerate the deployment of low-carbon hydrogen, the UAE’s Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MEI) recently announced the creation of the Hydrogen Leadership Roadmap, a comprehensive national blueprint to support domestic, low carbon industries, contribute to the country’s net-zero ambition and establish the country as a competitive exporter of low carbon hydrogen.
A global coalition
Alongside the Roadmap, the MEI and the country’s leading ports have continued to show support for the Global Ports Hydrogen Coalition, a global forum that brings representatives from ports together with decision-makers from governments and industry to work toward the adoption of low carbon hydrogen technologies and fuels.
Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, said, “The UAE has always been a key contributor to the global sustainability movement. During COP26, the UAE launched UAE’s Hydrogen Roadmap as the UAE is well-positioned to be a leader in low carbon hydrogen. Hydrogen is envisaged to play a significant role in UAE’s domestic strategy to meet the UAE 2050 Net-Zero goals and will also assist globally by exporting hydrogen.
“We have been committed to upholding our responsibility by participating in several established sustainable platforms for knowledge-sharing among maritime nations and administrations on best practices, while also adding value to the technical and legal discussions held at the IMO, by contributing with proposals aimed at enhancing regulations to preserve the marine environment. Our involvement with the Coalition is one such endeavor that supports the UAE Energy Strategy 2050 that aims to achieve an energy mix combining renewable and low carbon energy sources to achieve strategic economic and environmental goals.”
UAE Net Zero
The UAE is also pursuing the UAE Net-zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative, an initiative aiming to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. In line with this initiative and the Sustainable Development Goals 2030, the Ministry aims to enhance the quality of life in the country.
Sharif Al Olama, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure for Energy and Petroleum Affairs, the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, added, “With an aim of having 50 percent of clean energy as part of its energy mix, the country plans to maximize its investments until 2050 in clean energy. Hydrogen is a key aspect of this strategy. Currently, the expansion of the UAE’s hydrogen economy is in process with mega projects involving several of our leading ports.
“The two-gigawatt green ammonia project by Taqa, the Abu Dhabi National Energy Company, and Abu Dhabi Ports is one such project that will produce green hydrogen and process it into liquid ammonia, to be used in ships as bunker fuel and for export. This coupled with other endeavors by our ports will reinforce the UAE’s position as a key competitive maritime hub.”
UAE to host COP28
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has announced that the UAE will host the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) in 2023.
The UAE’s clean energy initiatives are spearheaded by Masdar and the organization has been pursuing the production of low carbon hydrogen in the country.
Hence, the MEI is undertaking a number of initiatives that aim to create a sustainable future for the UAE.
