dsce-highlights-its-policies-and-strategies-on-energy

Dubai Supreme Council of Energy delegation outlines reasons for its participation at Rio+20 Earth Summit As part of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy’s (DSCE) participation at the Rio+20 Earth Summit, HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of the DSCE and leader of the Council’s delegation, has conducted a press conference to introduce the Council, which was established in 2009, to international media. The press conference was held in the presence of HE Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of Foreign Trade for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), HE Dr Rashid Bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water for the UAE and Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Aide to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, UAE Special Envoy for Energy and Climate Change and CEO and MD of Masdar and other officials. The Council, which includes energy-related companies and organizations, was established according to a law issued by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to oversee all energy-related issues and initiatives in Dubai, as well as putting policies in place to ensure energy sustainability in the Emirate. The press conference was held to promote Dubai’s initiatives in different energy sectors. Dubai aims to share expertise and best international practices to achieve sustainable development for all nations. Dubai has already earned its status as a global hub for energy research, business, transport, and tourism. “Our strategic focus is founded on the vision of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates: “The UAE is striving to develop and boost its rich resources and expertise in the international energy markets and enhance its leading role as a world center for renewable energy research and development.” His words demonstrate the importance of sourcing the best policies, applications and alternative energy sources, which are goals that Dubai and the United Arab Emirates share along with the rest of the world. We aim to achieve both sustainable development and future for all mankind,” said Al Tayer. “In accordance with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, we must always take care of our environment, protect it from pollution and preserve it for generations to come. As His Highness himself has said, “We recognize that preserving our energy resources will be one of the greatest challenges in our drive towards sustainable development. This, however, will not materialize unless the different facets of our society adopt energy conservation principles in their core values. Future generations will be the chief beneficiary of our achievements and the best judge of what we accomplish in this field.” ” Al Tayer also highlighted the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy for 2030, which plans to diversify its energy mix to include alternative energy sources, with 71% from natural gas, 24% from both nuclear power and clean coal and 5% from solar power to fulfill Dubai’s electricity needs in 2030. The press conference also included participation from Nejib Zaafarani, Secretary General and CEO of the DSCE, who drew the media’s attention to the Council’s many achievements in the energy sector in Dubai, and highlighted its integral role and responsibilities for ensuring energy reliability, effective planning, support from energy service suppliers, cost control, and the quality of services offered, while raising awareness on energy conservation and environmental sustainability. In addition, Waleed Salman, Chairman of the Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence (DCCE) elaborated on the collaboration between the DSCE and the DCCE, which he noted is the first of its kind in the Middle East. He talked about their latest joint project, a recently-organised workshop by the Council and the Centre to mark the launch of the Monitoring, Reporting and Verification phase of Dubai’s Carbon Footprint project, which will create a platform to monitor and benchmark Dubai’s carbon performance and measure greenhouse gas emissions. Key partners attended the event from government departments and major local organizations. Also participating at the press conference was Khawla Al Mehairi, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications at the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority. She talked about the long-term initiative entitled, ‘Green Economy for Sustainable Development’ to drive sustainable development in Dubai and the UAE. Through this initiative, the UAE aims to become one of the world leaders in this area as well as a centre for the export and re-export of green products and technologies, and to maintain a sustainable environment to support long-term economic growth. This initiative includes many programs and policies in the area of energy, agriculture, investment, and sustainable transport. It also includes the formation of new environmental and urban policies to improve quality of life in the UAE. Al Mehairi discussed the World Energy Forum 2012 (WEF), which will be hosted in Dubai on 22-24 October 2012 at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre under the theme ‘World Leaders Forum.’ She noted that this is a significant achievement for Dubai and supports the leadership of the UAE. “WEF 2012 aims to create a global platform for sustainable energy and promote worldwide discussions related to sustainable energy, and set a roadmap to formulate a system for energy sustainability for the benefit of all the peoples of the world. This Forum will promote a new global system, which will support global economy and social development of all the member states of the United Nations, and will also launch a global drive that will provide cleaner, safer and more sustainable energy for all the countries of the world,” said Al Mehairi. Al Mehairi also outlined the Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition (WETEX) 2013, the largest annual exhibition on Water, Energy, Environment, Oil and Gas. This comprehensive exhibition has included sections on Oil and Gas, to provide a holistic overview of the energy sector and all its topics, which are the focus of global interest. These topics are considered key drivers for development. Another speaker on Dubai’s energy-related initiatives was Omar Al Qurashi, Communications Manager at the DSCE, who outlined the Dubai Global Energy Forum 2013. This Forum will tackle the important and influential issues in the energy sector, including clean energy and sustainability. Many experts from around the world will participate to share and exchange ideas on the important issues that influence the global energy sector. These include the search for best practices in energy security, managing both demand and supply of clean energy, alternative energy sources, nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and both current and future policies and programs for reducing CO2 emissions from fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal). The forum is also a platform to review investment opportunities and market indicators. Speaking about the Emirates Energy Award at the conference, Taher Diab, Director of Strategy and Planning at DSCE, explained that this award aims to increase awareness amongst individuals and policy makers about the importance of optimizing energy use to encourage creativity and innovation in terms of systems and processes that influence energy challenges and opportunities, new business models, funding mechanisms to support clean energy projects, the enhancement of human-capacity building and corporate social responsibility.