Energy ambitions

Abu Dhabi’s winning bid to host the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) is a feather in the cap for the UAE and the region as a whole.

"Our victory clearly symbolises the confidence of the international community in the political, social and economic stability of our country. This is a proud moment for us and a moment of celebration," said Dr Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahd, Minister of Environment and Water. Dr Fahd, who was part of UAE's high profile delegation to Sharm Al Shaikh, said that the UAE's bid reflected on how the country embraced a vision for the future.

For the UAE, being the seat of Irena will mark the first time an international organisation has chosen a city in the Middle East to host its headquarters. "Winning [the bid] to host the headquarters marks a step forward for us towards a green economy," the minister said. "The government is very keen to do its bit in providing the human race with a sustainable planet to live in. Embracing renewable energy is the way forward. Irena will ignite our passion and help us channel our resources to enter the world of future energy."

He said Irena would improve the global profile of UAE. "We have already entered the renewable energy sector with the launch of Masdar in Abu Dhabi and with initiatives such as the green building codes in Dubai."

The headquarters will be located in Abu Dhabi's Masdar City, the world's first carbon-neutral, zero-waste city powered entirely by renewable energy, and Dr Fahd said that the fruits of the UAE's long-term ties with the world were evident. "We have been very supportive of all international efforts. It is this goodwill that has paid off. Our bid was highly supported by many countries of the world and we are very happy about it. Right from the start, we had no doubts about our candidature and were confident that we had the right resources to nurture such an agency."

"Irena coming to the UAE means a lot; we will become the centre of the world for renewable and clean energy," said Sultan Al Muhairi, Director of Marketing and Refining at ADNOC. "The oil sector will not be challenged by this. From the beginning, it has been said that renewable energy and other forms of energy will be complementing each other and not competing with each other. This proves that even though we are an oil producing country, at the same time we strive hard towards a clean environment."

Al Muhairi lauded the effort of the government to bag the opportunity to host the international agency. "It will benefit the country in several ways. By putting UAE in the international map, by bringing in international expertise, know how, technology and other economic benefits," he added.

"Hosting Irena will give us the chance to work with all countries in the world on renewable energy front and facilitate the much needed transfer of technology to developing nations," said Hamdan Al Shaer, the Director of Environment at Dubai municipality. "Bringing home the agency will hopefully lead us to find better resolutions to curb our high carbon footprint and bring about effective changes. Locating Irena at Masdar will showcase the efforts of the country for the whole world to see. It will serve as an ideal platform for innovation and creation of cleaner technology, despite the fact that we are an oil producing country."