Over the past week, some of the more prominent announcements at Adipec, the annual global conference of oil and gas companies in Abu Dhabi, have unsurprisingly been centred on renewable energy and the UAE's decarbonisation drive. After all, making significant investments in clean energy projects over the past decade has been an integral part of the country's gradual and pragmatic transition from traditional fuels and diversifying the economy.
Coinciding with the last day of the energy event, in a significant move, the UAE's first wind programme was launched by Masdar, Abu Dhabi's clean energy company. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council inaugurated the programme on Thursday, on behalf of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed.
The importance of wind power contributions to clean energy is enormous. According to the International Energy Agency, investment in wind generation increased by 20 per cent last year, after a slowdown in 2021, and investment in wind power reached a record $185 billion globally, which is the second largest among all power generation technologies (after solar). Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Cop28 President-designate and chairman of Masdar, said: “The UAE wind programme is a great source of national pride and a demonstration of Masdar’s ability to pioneer and implement innovations in wind and renewable energy technologies.”
This is the first time that the Arab world’s second-largest economy has added wind power to its energy mix and on such a major scale. The 103.5 megawatt wind project will be developed by Masdar, and a 45MWp (megawatt peak) wind farm will be situated on Sir Bani Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, apart from three other locations.
The return on other investments the UAE has made in clean energy is also significant. For example, the UAE's Barakah nuclear plant, the first nuclear energy plant in the Arab world over the past winter, met up to 48 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s electricity requirements – with zero-carbon electricity.
As the UAE strides towards its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, it also seeks to increase the share of clean energy projects by 50 per cent of the country's overall energy mix in that time period. In keeping with this aim – which forms the UAE Energy Strategy – the country already has in its portfolio (besides the Barakah plant and the soon-to-be ready solar plant in Abu Dhabi's Al Dhafra region), the five-gigawatt Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai.
But even as transitioning to clean energy is under way, natural gas will still be required in the foreseeable future to bridge much of the critical global energy transition. “Gas will continue to be a key to the energy mix and for decades to come,” Mansoor Al Hamed, chief executive of Mubadala Energy, said at Adipec.
The demand for natural gas, which emits 50 per cent less carbon dioxide than coal, is unlikely to abate soon, given that it was trading at a high of $450 billion in 2022 due to the European demand surge after the Ukraine conflict began last February.
On the final day of Adipec, one key deal that the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company announced was with the Hail and Ghasha fields for offshore development, a project that aims to capture 1.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, in addition numerous big carbon capture projects.
In the renewables arena, too, the needle has moved. One of the world’s largest solar plants, with a capacity of two gigawatts, will be operational in Abu Dhabi in a matter of weeks, Taqa group chief executive Jasim Thabet said at the conference. This is just one of several accomplishments in the national pipeline, as the UAE prepares to host Cop28, the UN climate summit, next month.
As countries around the world balance the continuing need for fuel, funds for the energy transition, as well as diversifying away from oil, the progress that the UAE has made, and continues to make, is a precedent that will need to be followed in the crucial decades ahead.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
Why are you, you?
Why are you, you?
From this question, a new beginning.
From this question, a new destiny.
For you are a world, and a meeting of worlds.
Our dream is to unite that which has been
separated by history.
To return the many to the one.
A great story unites us all,
beyond colour and creed and gender.
The lightning flash of art
And the music of the heart.
We reflect all cultures, all ways.
We are a twenty first century wonder.
Universal ideals, visions of art and truth.
Now is the turning point of cultures and hopes.
Come with questions, leave with visions.
We are the link between the past and the future.
Here, through art, new possibilities are born. And
new answers are given wings.
Why are you, you?
Because we are mirrors of each other.
Because together we create new worlds.
Together we are more powerful than we know.
We connect, we inspire, we multiply illuminations
with the unique light of art.
Ben Okri,
'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore'
Rating: 3/5
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Mads Mikkelson, Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller, Jude Law
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
MATCH INFO
Leeds United 0
Brighton 1 (Maupay 17')
Man of the match: Ben White (Brighton)
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
Read more about the coronavirus
Top 10 most polluted cities
- Bhiwadi, India
- Ghaziabad, India
- Hotan, China
- Delhi, India
- Jaunpur, India
- Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Noida, India
- Bahawalpur, Pakistan
- Peshawar, Pakistan
- Bagpat, India
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
more from Janine di Giovanni
SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.9" Liquid Retina IPS, 2360 x 1640, 264ppi, wide colour, True Tone, Apple Pencil support
Chip: Apple M1, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Memory: 64/256GB storage; 8GB RAM
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, Smart HDR
Video: 4K @ 25/25/30/60fps, full HD @ 25/30/60fps, slo-mo @ 120/240fps
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR, Centre Stage; full HD @ 25/30/60fps
Audio: Stereo speakers
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I/O: USB-C, smart connector (for folio/keyboard)
Battery: Up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi; up to 9 hours on cellular
Finish: Space grey, starlight, pink, purple, blue
Price: Wi-Fi – Dh2,499 (64GB) / Dh3,099 (256GB); cellular – Dh3,099 (64GB) / Dh3,699 (256GB)
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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1.
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United States
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2.
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China
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3.
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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