In the presence of Suhail Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy and Industry, Dr. Matar Hamed Al Neyadi, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Industry, and Francesco La Camera, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency, IRENA, signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
The MoU aims to strengthen and enhance cooperation and the existing business relationship between the UAE Ministry of Energy and Industry and IRENA to develop knowledge products, analyses, exchange information and to organise workshops and events pertaining to renewable energy.
Cooperation between the two parties includes the following fields: The UAE renewable energy road map, taking into account the UAE’s characteristic demand for air-conditioning and associated technology; renewable energy dissemination policies, both current and planned, intended to support the deployment of renewables; electrical interconnection and energy exchange plans and procedures intended to enhance the integration of variable and renewable energy, as well as the impact of renewable energy on the stability of transmission networks and possible technical and operational solutions in this regard.
The MoU also provides for cooperation through the exchange of information, including quantitative information on data, statistics, costs, benefits and analytical information related to renewable energy technologies and policies, financial instruments and regulatory measures, including energy efficiency, market design, system flexibility and long-term planning for a high share of renewable energy.
Al Mazrouei said that the signing of the MoU with IRENA is in line with the UAE’s vision and the directions of the UAE’s wise leadership aimed at promoting sustainable development in the UAE, enhancing the use of renewable energy, as well as supporting and developing the relevant policies and organisational frameworks.
Al Neyadi said that the aim of this MoU is to organise and maximise cooperation between the Ministry and IRENA’s General Secretariat, which contributes to benefiting from the expertise available in both the Ministry and the IRENA, to discuss regional issues related to renewable energy and maximise its benefits.
“This agreement marks a further strengthening of the agency’s close relationship with the UAE government as it charts a new course of energy leadership into the 21st century,” said La Camera, adding, “Together with the Ministry of Energy, IRENA will work to explore the full potential of the UAE’s vast and diversified energy resources.”
