2GW PV farms! UAE accelerates dual program of renewable energy and fossil fuel production

The UAE is the world’s seventh largest producer of crude oil and eleventh largest producer of natural gas. Now it will soon be home to the world’s fourth largest solar power plant. Abu Dhabi National Energy Company will launch a 2 GW solar farm in the Al Dhafra area, enough to power about 1.5 million homes.

Jassim Thabet announced the project at an energy conference in Abu Dhabi. The UAE is now preparing to host this year’s UN climate change conference, COP28, in Dubai.The UAE has appointed Sultan Al Jaber, head of the national oil company, to head COP28.

The UAE has bolstered its renewable energy capacity ahead of the conference, while also accelerating the development of its oil and gas industry. The country is expected to produce nearly 20 gigawatts of clean energy by the end of 2030, about half of its current installed capacity, and will spend $1 billion a month on fossil fuel production over the same period. The UAE hopes to add 7.6 billion barrels of oil to its production portfolio, enough to produce more than India’s total greenhouse gas emissions for a year, or more than half of the annual emissions of the United States.

With regard to future prospects, the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure of the United Arab Emirates said that the total clean energy capacity of the UAE is expected to reach 19.8 GW by 2030. He made the announcement at the opening of ADIPEC 2023, a global energy event with the theme “Decarbonization”. He also outlined the country’s ambitious goals: the UAE seeks to become a leading producer and supplier of low-carbon hydrogen, aiming to produce 1.4 million tons of green hydrogen per year by 2031 and 15 million tons per year by 2050.