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 National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
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The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
SPECS
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
