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Page added on April 22, 2013

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New UAE energy minister seeks energy efficiency

Concerned about rising domestic oil consumption, the new minister of energy of the United Arab Emirates has called for national-level improvements in energy-use efficiency.

At the Dubai Global Energy Forum, Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei pointed to rapid increases in oil consumption and the UAE’s status as a net importer of natural gas and said, “Whatever we consume at home we cannot sell overseas.”

Mazrouei, who is from Abu Dhabi and was appointed energy minister of the seven-state UAE in March, hailed a target set by Dubai for a 30% cut in demand by 2030 and called for steps at the federal level such as tougher building codes, stronger appliance standards, vehicle fuel standards, and “strategic management of water and desalination investment.”

He suggested the capture of emitted carbon dioxide for injection into oil fields to make natural gas available for other uses, noting that injection for oil recovery now accounts for about half of UAE gas output.

“This approach could be cheaper than importing or developing new gas,” Masrouei said. “It also allows the UAE to develop a new industry around decarbonizing the oil-gas and industrial sectors.”

The energy minister, formerly deputy chief executive of Mubadala Petroleum, called energy intensity an important focus of federal policy. The UAE, according to the World Resources Institute, consumes 481 tonnes of oil equivalent (toe) energy to generate $1 million in gross domestic product, he said. For the same level of economic output, Norway uses 172 toe, and Japan uses 154 toe.

Masrouei said the UAE is building 5.6 Gw of nuclear capacity and expects nuclear energy to account for as much as 25% of the federation’s electricity output by 2020.

Abu Dhabi and Dubai are developing renewable energy projects while “some of the cheapest renewable energy resources in the UAE are waste-to-energy in Sharjah and wind in Fujairah,” Masrouei said, calling for federal coordination of renewable-energy targets and finance.

And he said a national approach would be best for improving water-use efficiency and consequently for lowering energy demand related to desalination. The UAE is among the world’s top three producers of desalinated water, Masrouei said, adding, “This represents a significant demand on our energy resources.”

Oil Gas Journal



4 Comments on "New UAE energy minister seeks energy efficiency"

  1. DC on Mon, 22nd Apr 2013 10:45 pm 

    RoFL, arabs seeking energy efficiency. Arabs on a per-capita basis are some of the worst offenders when it comes to energy squandering in the world. Just behind Canadians and Amerikans. They wont even walk between buildings unless theres air-conditioning between them. And they are just as bad when it comes to water. Dubai anyone?

    Good luck waiting for that to happen Oil+Gas Urinal.

  2. GregT on Tue, 23rd Apr 2013 2:59 am 

    When the Arabs start talking about energy efficiencies, it would probably be a good time for the rest of us to pay attention.

  3. BillT on Tue, 23rd Apr 2013 4:20 am 

    “My father rode a camel.
    I drive a car.
    My son flies a plane.
    His son will ride a camel.”

    Enough said.

  4. Kenz300 on Tue, 23rd Apr 2013 12:22 pm 

    Around the world countries are moving to increase energy efficiency and moving to alternative energy sources like wind and solar.

    Solar power produced 100% of new energy on U.S. grid in March | SmartPlanet

    http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/bulletin/solar-power-produced-100-of-new-energy-on-us-grid-in-march/18083?tag=nl.e660

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