The UAE, the Arab world’s second-largest economy, aims to be among the top 10 hydrogen-producing countries globally, a Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure official has said.
Sharif Al Olama, the ministry's undersecretary for energy and petroleum affairs, told the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week on Monday that the UAE had taken “great strides” in developing clean hydrogen technologies to reduce the cost of hydrogen as a sustainable source of energy.
“We in the UAE aim to capture 25 per cent of the low carbon hydrogen key markets and aspire to be one of the top 10 hydrogen producing countries in the world within this decade,” said Mr Al Olama.
“Global hydrogen demand is seen rising to over 600 million metric tonnes a year by the year 2050, which represents 12 per cent of the total global energy demand.”
The UAE is bullish on hydrogen and has been drawing up a comprehensive road map to position itself as an exporter of the clean fuel and tap into its future potential.
Hydrogen, which can be produced using renewable energy and natural gas, is expected to play a key role in the coming years as economies and industries transition to a low-carbon world to mitigate climate change.
French investment bank Natixis estimates that investment in hydrogen will exceed $300 billion by 2030.
Siemens Energy is developing a Dh50 million ($13.6 million) hydrogen pilot project with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority.
The pilot project aims to demonstrate how hydrogen can be produced from solar power and how to store and re-electrify the clean fuel.
“Waste-to-energy is another promising clean energy option that we are already taking serious steps to achieve with our first waste-to-energy plant delivered by Beeah in conjunction with Masdar and three more projects are on the way in the coming few years,” said Mr Al Olama.
The region's first waste-to-energy plant, processing up to 300,000 tonnes of waste every year from landfills, was set up by Emirates Waste to Energy, a joint venture between Sharjah environmental management company Beeah and Abu Dhabi renewable energy company Masdar.
First announced in 2018, the plant will enable Sharjah to increase its landfill diversion rate from 76 per cent currently to 100 per cent.
The Emirates is investing Dh600 billion in clean and renewable energy projects over the next three decades as it aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
It is building the Mohammed bin Rashid Solar Park in Dubai with a 5 gigawatt capacity. Abu Dhabi, which is developing a 2 gigawatt solar plant in its Al Dhafra region, has set a target of 5.6 gigawatts of solar PV capacity by 2026.
By 2025, the Barakah nuclear power plant is set to produce 85 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s clean electricity and will be the biggest contributor to reducing the UAE power sector’s carbon emissions.
The UAE and US on Sunday said they would allocate $20 billion to fund 15 gigawatts of clean and renewable energy projects in the US before 2035, in the first wave of investment under their $100 billion clean energy partnership.
The investments will be led by Masdar and a consortium of US private investors, it was announced at a briefing on Sunday for business and climate leaders during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
The two nations signed a strategic partnership in November 2022 to invest $100 billion to produce 100 gigawatts of clean energy globally by 2035.
“We are actively driving the deployment of renewable energy solutions with many mega projects already operational and with many more under development,” said Mr Al Olama.
“Today, the UAE is one of the world's largest investors in global renewable energy and has invested $50 billion in renewable energy projects in over 70 countries, including 31 island developing states that are most vulnerable to climate change.
“The UAE has also committed an additional investment of $50 billion over the next decade to accelerate the clean energy transition.”
Investment in renewable energy needs to double to more than $4 trillion by the end of the decade to meet net-zero emissions targets by 2050, the International Energy Agency said in its World Energy Outlook last year.
Renewables accounted for almost 81 per cent of all new energy capacity last year, but we must now "scale this up", Mr Al Olama said.
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Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, unveils the Cop28 logo with President-designate Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Victor Besa / The National -
The Masdar display at the event. Victor Besa / The National -
The Mohamed Bin Zayed University stall. Victor Besa / The National -
Visitors walk past the Masdar stall. Victor Besa / The National -
The Adnoc display. Victor Besa / The National -
The National signage on display at the event. Victor Besa / The National -
The government of Fujairah's stall. Victor Besa / The National -
The Abu Dhabi Department of Energy's display. Victor Besa / The National -
Another view of the Adnoc stand. Victor Besa / The National -
Another view of the Masdar display. Victor Besa / The National -
Visitors at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Victor Besa / The National -
Day two of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week aims to accelerate sustainable development and advance economic, social and environmental progress. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
The Envision stand at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Masdar's stand at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
The Tadweer stand. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
The event brings together heads of state, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, investors and senior policymakers. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
A solar energy diorama on Day 2 of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week at Adnec in Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week plays host to some very big names in international business, including Huawei of China. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Saeed Al Tayer, managing director and chief executive of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, delivers a speech. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Mahmoud Mohieldin, executive director of the IMF, left, in discussion on Day 2 of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week at Adnec in Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Visitors at the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority stand at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in Adnec, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Awaidha Al Marar of the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, an Abu Dhabi Executive Council Member and Member of Enec's board of directors, delivers opening remarks on Net-Zero Ambitions in Energy on Day 2 of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week at Adnec. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) stand at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in Adnec, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
The Aldar stand at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in Adnec, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
The Bee'ah stand at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in Adnec, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, and Ahmed El Hoshy, chief executive of Fertiglobe, right, in a panel discussion titled A Manifesto for Food Systems at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in Adnec, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Sharif Al Olama, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, delivers a speech promoting solar power at the opening of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Laurent Fabius (2nd L), president of the constitutional council of France, speaks to guests at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. Photo: Presidential Court -
President Sheikh Mohamed speaks to John Kerry, US presidential envoy for climate, at a reception before the opening ceremony. Photo: Presidential Court -
President Sheikh Mohamed meets Hakainde Hichilema, President of Zambia. Photo: Presidential Court -
President Sheikh Mohamed meets Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana. Photo: Presidential Court -
Dr Sultan Al Jaber, right, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Group, chief executive of Adnoc and chairman of Masdar, receives Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy. Photo: Presidential Court -
President Sheikh Mohamed greets Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan. Photo: Presidential Court -
President Sheikh Mohamed stands for a photograph with heads of state and government. (Front row: R-L) presidents Surangel Whipps Jr of Palau, Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan, Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea, Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Joao Lourenco of Angola, Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique and Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia. (Back row: R-L) Aziz Akhannouch, Prime Minister of Morocco, Wavil Ramkalawan, President of Seychelles, Hakainde Hichilema, President of Zambia, Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda, Tiemoko Meyliet Kone, Vice President of Ivory Coast and Dr Sultan Al Jaber. Photo: Presidential Court -
President Sheikh Mohamed greets a guest. Photo: Presidential Court -
Dr Al Jaber with Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan. Photo: Presidential Court -
President Sheikh Mohamed greets Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia. Photo: Presidential Court -
(Back row L-R) Siaosi Sovaleni, Prime Minister of Tonga, Aziz Akhannouch, Prime Minister of Morocco, Wavil Ramkalawan, President of Seychelles, Hakainde Hichilema, President of Zambia, Surangel Whipps Jr, President of Palau, Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan, Yoon Suk Yeol, President of South Korea, President Sheikh Mohamed, Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, Joao Lourenco, President of Angola, Filipe Nyusi, President of Mozambique, Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, former president of Iceland and chairman of Arctic Circle, Tiemoko Meyliet Kone, Vice President of Ivory Coast, and Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology. Photo: Presidential Court -
President Sheikh Mohamed presents the 2023 Zayed Sustainability Prize for East Asia & Pacific Global High Schools to a representative from Kamil Muslim College, Fiji. Photo: Presidential Court -
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan (L), and President Sheikh Mohamed present the 2023 Zayed Sustainability Prize for Americas Global High Schools, to a representative from Fundacion Bios Terrae in Colombia. Photo: Presidential Court -
(L-R) Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Kim Keon Hee, first lady of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, President of South Korea, President Sheikh Mohamed, Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court, Joao Lourenco, President of Angola and Ana Dias Lourenco, first lady of Angola. Photo: Presidential Court -
Guests stand for the national anthem during the opening ceremony of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Photo: Presidential Court -
Children sing the UAE national anthem . Photo: Presidential Court -
Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Cop28 President-designate and the UAE's special envoy on climate change, speaks at the opening of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Mr Yoon, a keynote speaker at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
US climate envoy John Kerry, centre. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
From left, Phillip Cornell, senior fellow of Atlantic Council Global Energy Centre; Christian Bruch, president and chief executive officer of Siemens Energy; Lorenzo Simonelli, chairman, president and chief executive of Baker Hughes; and Marisa Drew, chief sustainability officer of Standard Chartered. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
