The UAE is ahead of the curve as it works towards reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 due to its investment in several clean energy projects, a senior official has said.
The Arab world’s second-largest economy is developing new renewable energy projects, including Barakah nuclear plant, as it aims to become carbon neutral by 2050. It plans to invest Dh600 billion ($163.5bn) to reach the target.
Barakah nuclear plant currently generates 2.8 gigawatts of clean electricity, said Mohamed Al Hammadi, chief executive of Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation.
“The second of our four reactors at the Barakah plant entered commercial operations in March this year,” Mr Al Hammadi, who is also the managing director of Enec, told the World Utilities Congress in Abu Dhabi.
“With all four reactors online, nuclear energy will meet 25 per cent of the UAE’s electricity demand.”
Two units of the nuclear plant are currently operational, while construction on the third unit was recently completed.
The project has also delivered large-scale decarbonisation and “when fully operational, the plant will prevent around 22.4 million metric tonnes of carbon emissions every year”.
The UAE is also building new solar projects to boost the supply of clean energy in the country, including the world’s largest solar plant in Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi, with a total capacity of two gigawatts, and the five-gigawatt Mohammed bin Rashid solar park in Dubai.
The nuclear plant is also expected to drive major economic benefits for the country. Barakah will reduce gas consumption by about 1,000 million cubic feet per day — the equivalent of 205,000 barrels of oil — with savings estimated at $7.4bn per annum in terms of oil barrels, Enec said, citing a recent report by S&P Global.
Barakah is also expected to help the UAE to become a net LNG exporter by 2030 by saving its natural gas resources.
“The Barakah plant and its immediate economic benefits are just the tip of the iceberg,” Mr Al Hammadi said.
“Beyond Barakah is the delivery of the wider UAE peaceful nuclear energy programme. The programme has set forward the need to invest in technologies that can be leveraged to extract greater value and opportunity towards our net-zero ambitions.”
He added that UAE companies are also buying clean energy certificates issued by the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy’s Clean Energy Certification programme to demonstrate proof of their use of clean electricity produced at the Barakah plant and Abu Dhabi’s solar facilities.
Enec is also looking to invest in new small modular reactors (SMRs) as well as clean hydrogen to continue driving the UAE’s path to net zero, Mr Al Hammadi said.
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
What went into the film
25 visual effects (VFX) studios
2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots
1,000 VFX artists
3,000 technicians
10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers
New sound technology, named 4D SRL
AIR
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MATCH INFO
Champions League last 16, first leg
Tottenham v RB Leipzig, Wednesday, midnight (UAE)
Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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Straightforward ways to reduce sugar in your family's diet
- Ban fruit juice and sodas
- Eat a hearty breakfast that contains fats and wholegrains, such as peanut butter on multigrain toast or full-fat plain yoghurt with whole fruit and nuts, to avoid the need for a 10am snack
- Give young children plain yoghurt with whole fruits mashed into it
- Reduce the number of cakes, biscuits and sweets. Reserve them for a treat
- Don’t eat dessert every day
- Make your own smoothies. Always use the whole fruit to maintain the benefit of its fibre content and don’t add any sweeteners
- Always go for natural whole foods over processed, packaged foods. Ask yourself would your grandmother have eaten it?
- Read food labels if you really do feel the need to buy processed food
- Eat everything in moderation
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
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