Press Releases

The opening discussion session in the agenda of the 7th Dubai International Project Management Forum (26-27 January 2022), which is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, was kicked off today at the Exhibition Center – Expo under the theme "Mega Projects in the UAE". Attendees included His Excellency Suhail Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), and Shadi Malak, CEO of Etihad Rail. The session was moderated by Richard Thomson, Managing Editor, Middle East Economic Digest (MED).

The session shed light on the massive clean energy projects that the UAE is undertaking, including the Barakah Power Plant, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park among others. It also discussed the UAE’s leading role in preserving the environment, shifting to green energy, and achieving zero carbon emissions by 2050.

“The UAE is determined to take the lead in zero-carbon and sustainable clean energy, coinciding with the growth underway and the continued demand for gas. The national oil company ADNOC is committed to responding to this demand in tandem with the country's economic growth, through investing billions of dollars in mega offshore projects to unlock the resources of the sour gas in Abu Dhabi, which is the largest project to develop high-sour gas in the world.

"Work is currently underway on preparing the national integrated energy model, which is a first step towards designing the future of energy and developing a roadmap for a new phase of sustainability as well as legislation and strategies to raise the private sector’s contribution towards clean energy, and ensuring the reliability of the energy sector. It also touched on plans for the next decade given the growing contribution of clean energy, besides improving energy efficiency and curbing carbon emissions.

His Excellency Saeed Al Tayer said, “Dubai, represented by DEWA, has completed numerous mega projects in the field of energy, including the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Energy Park, and the Jebel Ali Power Plant; UAE’s largest power production and water desalination plant and one of the three largest power plants in the world. DEWA is currently engaged in various projects to produce clean energy, hence contributing to realising the UAE's vision of achieving zero-carbon emissions by 2050.”

He praised the role of modern technology in enhancing the efficiency of clean energy production and storage, noting that the most significant challenges in launching energy projects revolved around the costs incurred, however, the return on investment was expected to cover the costs in the future.

During the session, Shadi Malak, said, “the Etihad Rail project is one of the largest projects implemented by the UAE, which constitutes a quantum addition and support to UAE’s agenda at all levels. The project is fully consistent with the country's strategy to achieve zero-carbon, and is an example of environmentally friendly projects with sustainable economic value added to the UAE's GDP.”