Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) | The historic UAE Consensus in COP28: an important step in combating climate change

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), hosted by the UAE at Expo City Dubai, concluded with an unprecedented historical agreement to combat the effects of climate change. This was an exceptional turning point in international climate action. Representatives of 197 countries, in addition to the European Union, agreed on the historic UAE Consensus on climate change that puts the world on the right climate action path to protect humanity and Planet Earth and preserve natural resources.

The landmark UAE Consensus recognised the need for deep, rapid, and sustainable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and called on countries to take the necessary measures to achieve this. This agreement is an exceptional turning point in international climate action, as it includes firm pledges by countries to take immediate and ambitious measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in line with the goal of limiting global temperature to 1.5°C.

COP28’s most notable success is building on the accomplishments of COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, and operationalising the Loss and Damage Fund and securing early commitments from countries to finance it. This accomplishment is a part of the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE; and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. It reflects the UAE’s commitment to enhancing international cooperation in climate action and supporting the efforts to build a sustainable future for Planet Earth.

The UAE Consensus consolidates the UAE’s position as a pioneer in climate action and supports the efforts to achieve its ambitious goals in clean and renewable energy and protecting the Earth. The UAE aims to achieve net zero by 2050. The Consensus will become a source of inspiration for communities, supporting their efforts to move forward with limiting carbon emissions that cause global warming. It also strengthens the countries’ relentless efforts and galvanises international cooperation for a just, sustainable, and safe future for all.

This historic agreement presents an exceptional opportunity to move in the right direction for combating climate change. The UAE has been a pioneer in this, developing strategies and initiatives that support this decisive direction. Among these are the UAE Net Zero Strategy 2050, the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050 to provide 100% of the energy production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050.

The UAE Consensus holds great importance, as it represents an important step in combating climate change and reflects the commitment of the Parties to take immediate and ambitious measures. COP28 achieved unprecedented and major accomplishments that emphasise willingness of representatives of many sectors and industries to take positive measures and steps. Over USD 85 billion in funding has been mobilised at COP28, ushering in a new era of climate work. The Global Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge to triple worldwide installed renewable energy generation capacity to at least 11,000 gigawatts and to double the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements to more than 4 percent by 2030 was endorsed by over 130 countries during COP28, in an exceptional step supporting the efforts for achieving the climate ambitions.

On the first day of COP28, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, announced the establishment of a USD 30 billion fund for global climate solutions. Designed to bridge the climate financing gap and facilitate affordable access, the fund aims to stimulate the raising and investment of US$250 billion by 2030. Countries have pledged hundreds of millions of dollars to the fund so far. International pledges of USD 3.5 billion were also announced to renew the resources of the Green Climate Fund (GCF). New announcements were made mobilising more than USD 150 million for the Least Developed Countries Fund and the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF). The World Bank announced an increase of USD 9 billion annually for 2024 and 2025 to finance climate-related projects. Around 120 countries also supported the UAE Declaration on Climate and Health at COP28 to accelerate action to protect people's health from increasing climate impacts. Additionally, over 130 countries signed the UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action to support food security while combating climate change.

In line with its efforts to consolidate the UAE’s position and support its leading role in building a sustainable future for humanity, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is committed to the ultimate goal of achieving net zero by 2050. This reflects DEWA’s efforts to face the effects of climate change, in line with its vision to be a globally leading sustainable innovative corporation committed to achieving Net-Zero by 2050. DEWA is implementing several leading projects to diversify clean and renewable energy sources in Dubai, including clean and renewable energy technologies such as photovoltaic solar panels, Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), and more. The most notable of DEWA’s projects is the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. It has a planned production capacity of 5,000MW by 2030, using photovoltaic solar panels and CSP, with total investments of AED 50 billion. The current total production capacity of the solar park is 2,627MW. This is over 16% of DEWA’s total installed capacity, which has reached 16,270 MW.

During COP28, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, inaugurated the largest CSP project in the world within the fourth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. This project features the tallest solar tower in the world at 263.126 metres, and the largest thermal energy storage capacity of 5,907 megawatt hours (MWh). Other prominent projects implemented by DEWA to increase the share of clean and renewable energy sources include:

A pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant in Hatta, which will have a production capacity of 250 MW, a storage capacity of 1,500 megawatt-hours, and a life span of 80 years. This is the first station of its kind in the GCC, with investments of up to AED 1.421 billion. The project's initial operation is anticipated to commence around the beginning of 2025.

A pilot green hydrogen project at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which is the first in the Middle East and North Africa to produce hydrogen using solar energy. It stores the hydrogen and then converts it into electrical energy for use in the air, land, sea transport sectors and other industries. The project produces about 400 kilogrammes of hydrogen daily, and the hydrogen gas tank can store up to 12 hours of hydrogen produced using solar energy. The plant uses Hydrogen through a combined heat and power unit of about 300 kilowatts of electrical energy. The project has been designed and built to accommodate future applications and test platforms for various uses of hydrogen, including energy production and transportation. The project supports the UAE’s goals for the low-carbon hydrogen market, which is expected to reach more than USD 400 billion. It also supports the UAE’s efforts to achieve global competitiveness in the green hydrogen market. Additionally, it bolsters DEWA’s efforts to diversify energy sources and increase investments. It also supports the Dubai Green Mobility Initiative 2030 to encourage sustainable transport by supporting innovation and, research and development in energy storage technologies. This includes green hydrogen, which some describe as the ‘Fuel of the Future’ and will play an important role not only in the global energy mix but also in combating the effects of global warming.

DEWA is also building the Sea Water Reverse Osmosis project at Hassyan Complex based on the Independent Water Producer (IWP) model. This is the largest of its kind in the world for water production using solar energy and DEWA’s first IWP project. The project has a production capacity of 180 Million Imperial Gallon per Day (MIGD) using Sea Water Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) technology with an investment of AED 3.357 billion (USD 914 million).

In conclusion, thanks to the wise leadership’s relentless efforts, COP28 made such unprecedented accomplishments in the journey of climate change, by reaching the historic UAE Consensus, which was widely welcomed and praised by the international community. Many country and government leaders, as well as media organisations commended this landmark event, which is a monumental step in facing climate change. The global praise for the UAE Consensus is a recognition of the importance of this achievement, emphasising that the world is moving in the right direction in facing climate change.