Awaidha Murshed Al Marar, Chairman of the Department of Energy, led a delegation from the department participating in the Global Power and Energy Exhibition, that kicked off in Barcelona, Spain.
The four-day conference, which is being attended by of decision-makers, experts and energy specialists, aims to address the key commercial, organisational, geopolitical and technical challenges that affect the future of the global energy industry, including the transportation of energy, funding and models of new successful projects.
Al Marar highlighted the importance of participating in the conference while pointing out that the department will showcase the UAE’s developments and achievements in the energy sector and Abu Dhabi’s leading position, due to the wise leadership.
He noted the department’s drive to participate in the conference, to exchange knowledge and review the experiences of other countries in energy projects while praising the bilateral ties between the UAE and Spain and stressing the importance of improving them, including in the energy sector.
Al Marar also participated in a dialogue session on the sidelines of the conference, titled, "Global Experiences in Energy Transformation," which addressed successful global energy models, with the participation of representatives of the public and private sectors.
During the session, he discussed many topics, including the energy map of Abu Dhabi, establishing the headquarters of IRENA in the emirate, the department’s strategy to provide sustainable energy at reduced costs, and protecting the environment. He also highlighted Abu Dhabi’s experience in restructuring the sector and the Gulf Electrical Connectivity Project.
Aisha Al Mansouri, Representative of the Department of Energy, conducted a presentation on the Noor Abu Dhabi Solar Plant in Suwaihan, which reflects the keenness of the department to move to renewable energy in the future.
The project includes the construction, development, financing, operation and maintenance of a solar power plant using PV technology, at a total cost of AED3.2 billion. The plant’s capacity will be about 1,177 megawatts and is expected to start supplying electricity to the local network during the second quarter of 2019.