Day 1 Activities – 24th World Energy Congress

H.E. Eng. Awaidha Murshed Al Marar, Chairman of the Department of Energy - Abu Dhabi (DoE), confirmed that the launch of the World Energy Congress in Abu Dhabi under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, served as a qualitative addition to the status of Abu Dhabi and the UAE in the global energy sector.

Following his participation in the first panel discussion entitled ‘New Visions of Energy: Succeeding in a Context of Disruption’, H.E. Al Marar said: "Today, we play host to the world’s most prominent leaders, decision makers and experts in the energy sector to work together in search for new opportunities and possibilities to deal with challenges relating to energy security, cost-efficiency and sustainability, cost efficiency and sustainability, and to explore avenues to address these three issues using innovative technologies to achieve prosperity and well-being across communities around the world."

H.E. Al Marar added: "This session served as an opportunity to showcase the DoE’s role in enabling and driving the efforts of the UAE and Abu Dhabi to transform the energy sector into an efficient, sustainable and prosperous sector for future generations, drawing on the provisions of the Paris Agreement on climate change (2015), and the seventh of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. It also enabled us to introduce Abu Dhabi's largescale clean energy projects such as Noor Abu Dhabi and Al Dhafra Solar Power Plant, Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, and the establishment and support of Masdar Clean Energy Company, which has become one of the world’s leading entities in the renewable energy technology field."

His Excellency outlined Abu Dhabi’s commitment to creating a new paradigm of energy sustainability in line with the UAE Energy Strategy 2050 and national development goals. He also highlighted the significance of the resent restructuring of the energy sector in Abu Dhabi and the key role the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy plays in driving the emirate’s energy transition efforts.

H.E. Al Marar said: "To drive economic diversification goals and to support long-term national strategies for a sustainable future, our wise leadership has implemented significant structural reforms across most sectors including the energy sector. A key aspect of the restructuring of the energy sector was the separation of regulatory and operational aspects – The Department of Energy was created in Feb 2018 as the regulator and policy maker of the energy sector in all its forms in Abu Dhabi."

Al Marar added: "As we look forward to the future, we have developed the Abu Dhabi Integrated Energy Model for the entire energy sector – we captured the most up-to-date energy-related information from more than 10 sector stakeholders and leveraged data to understand the current scenario in Abu Dhabi and project the emirate energy sector for the next 10-30 years".

he concluded: "As modern and forward-looking entity, we are focused on planning and shaping the future of the energy sector and on creating a sector that promotes economic growth and social development, ensures secure and affordable supply and promotes environmental sustainability."