Dubai to reduce almost a third of its carbon emissions by 2030

Dubai’s Supreme Council of Energy has approved updated plans to reduce carbon emissions in the emirate by 30 per cent by the end of 2030.

The decision was passed on Sunday, February 6, during the 68th meeting of the council chaired by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum and attended by vice chairman of the council, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer as well.

“In line with the vision of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to increase the share of clean and renewable energy sources as well as achieve the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050, the meeting reviewed the plans and roadmap to implement the strategy,” said Al Tayer, according to the Dubai Media Office.

“The Council has started evaluating carbon emissions for the next 10 years, in collaboration with the relevant organisations in Dubai to come up with the required measures to reduce emissions. A roadmap will then define the way to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050,” he added.

As of the start of this year, DEWA’s installed capacity has reached 13,200 MW of electricity and 490 MIGD of water.

Chaired by @HHAhmedBinSaeed, the #Dubai Supreme Council of Energy approves #Dubai Carbon Abatement Strategy 2030 in line with the #UAE’s vision for carbon neutrality https://t.co/vczDx1GwoA pic.twitter.com/GLFZxOUjXd

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) February 6, 2022

At the meeting, the council also reviewed the recent launch of of the DEWA-SAT 1 nanosatellite in collaboration with NanoAvionics. DEWA-SAT 1 was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex in Florida last month. DEWA therefore became the world’s first utility to use a nanosatellite to improve the maintenance and planning of electricity and water networks.

“Space-D aims to improve the operations, maintenance, and planning of DEWA’s networks with the support of nanosatellite technology, Internet of Things (IoT), and remote sensing technologies. The programme also aims to train Emirati professionals to use space technologies to enhance its electricity and water networks,” noted Al Tayer.

The council also discussed the implementation stage for Resolution number 6 of 2021 issued by the Executive Council of Dubai to regulate district cooling services in Dubai. It approved the regulatory framework for cooling service providers and customers to ensure the effectiveness of permit issuance and billing.

The Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy aims to obtain 100 per cent of Dubai’s total power capacity from clean energy sources by 2050.