Dubai-UAE: The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) hosted the second National Dialogue for Climate Ambition (NDCA), dedicated to the energy industry. Themed ‘The energy sector: A catalyst towards carbon neutrality’, the session convened 52 representatives of relevant public and private sector entities, including leading UAE-based power companies.

The participants discussed the global energy perspective, reviewed the status of the local sectoral landscape, and explored emerging solutions that can help build a net-zero energy system, such as clean hydrogen.

Addressing the gathering of energy industry stakeholders, Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said: “We are currently in the middle of a clean energy transition that supports the global decarbonization drive. We are taking effective measures to diversify our energy mix and reduce emissions from the sector. In the UAE, we see significant opportunities to generate the clean energy that the world wants and needs while revitalizing the national economy, reducing our carbon footprint, and creating jobs of the future. Through our endeavors at home and abroad, we are contributing to shaping the new energy economy that will be more electrified, efficient, just, inclusive, interconnected, and clean.” 

The UAE energy outlook is governed by the National Energy Strategy, launched in 2017. The Strategy targets an energy mix that comprises 50 percent clean energy – 44 percent renewables and six percent nuclear power – and 50 percent fossil fuel-generated energy by 2050. The 50:50 scenario is projected to reduce CO2 emissions from the power sector by up to 70 percent compared to business as usual for the year 2050.

Guided by the Strategy, the UAE has increased its clean energy share. Today, it is home to three of the largest-in-capacity and lowest-in-cost solar plants in the world. It is also the first country in the region to build a commercial-scale carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) facility and deploy nuclear power for peaceful purposes with the launch of the 5,600 MW Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant. Furthermore, it is exploring the potential of clean hydrogen as a sustainable source of energy and has launched the first industrial-scale green hydrogen project in the region. The country’s clean energy capacity is on track to reach 14 GW by 2030.

Running from May to September 2022, NDCA serves as a national platform to raise climate ambition and foster decarbonization efforts in hard-to-abate sectors, including manufacturing, cement, waste, transport, and energy. It aims to establish a national sustainability outlook and inform the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative.