Dubai Municipality and Masdar to collaborate on decarbonisation plans

Dubai Dubai Municipality and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company  Masdar, the UAE’s clean energy powerhouse, have announced at COP28 plans to assess a number of decarbonization initiatives in Dubai supporting the UAE Net Zero by 2050 target.

Under the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed at COP28, the proposed carbon capture plant will capture carbon from the flue gas produced at Dubai Municipality’s Al Warsan Waste-to-Energy Plant.. The Dubai Municipality Al Warsan waste-to-energy plant is a key part of the city’s waste management infrastructure, converting approximately 1.9 million tonnes of solid waste annually into power. When combined with green hydrogen, the captured CO2, can be converted to renewable fuels such as e-methanol.

The collaboration also includes the potential diversion of the solid waste from landfills to process it to synthetic fuels such as sustainable aviation fuel.

 Eng. Dawood Al Hajri, Director General of Dubai Municipality, said: “This partnership with Masdar is an important milestone in our journey to develop Dubai into a world-leading city for sustainability and innovation. This collaboration embodies our strong commitment to responsible urban development. Embracing cutting-edge carbon capture technology in our city’s infrastructure is vital to building a more sustainable future for both Dubai and the UAE.”

Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Masdar Chief Executive Officer, commented; “Masdar looks forward to collaborating with the Dubai Municipality on decarbonization solutions. With the continuous growth of the aviation and maritime sectors, we are committed to supporting these hard-to-abate sectors in supplying renewables fuels via green hydrogen for effective emission reduction. As the UAE concludes COP28 in Dubai, this project is a further example of clean energy solutions which are advancing the energy transition in support of the UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative.”

The agreement reflects the mutual commitment of both entities to establishing a robust strategic alliance to supervise and execute the objectives set out by the MoU.

The MoU signing is part of a series of agreements and initiatives that Dubai Municipality is announcing at COP28 in its role as a Strategic Pathway Partner. Representatives from more than 1,000 municipalities and cities are attending COP28. The event provides a global platform for Dubai Municipality to showcase its leading model for urban planning to an international audience.

Dubai Municipality envisions Dubai becoming a global leader in quality of life and sustainability by 2030, making the city the best place to visit, live and work. Under the vision “A Pioneering Municipality for a Global City,” Dubai Municipality is mandated to help ensure the sustainability of Dubai through effective planning and management. It is also responsible for providing pioneering municipal services that help ensure residents’ happiness and well-being. The entity is committed to supporting Dubai’s vision through its corporate values of competitiveness, proactiveness, positivity, and participation.

Dubai Municipality’s responsibilities revolve around several key areas.

These include: building an attractive city with ample facilities; sustainable urban planning; sustainable building management; digitalisation; attracting talent, knowledge and material assets; sanitation and waste management; and overseeing the happiness of Dubai’s people, which includes promoting environmental protection and ensuring public health and food systems/security.

Dubai Municipality is a Strategic Pathway Partner at COP28, which is hosted by the UAE in Expo City Dubai from 30 November to 12 December 2023. The entity will have a cutting-edge, sustainable stand in the Green Zone. During the conference, Dubai Municipality will announce new commitments, projects and initiatives designed to support sustainability and climate action in Dubai as well as the UAE and globally.

Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) is the UAE’s clean energy champion and one of the fastest growing companies in the world, advancing the development and deployment of renewable energy and green hydrogen technologies to address global sustainability challenges.

 Established in 2006, Masdar has developed projects in over 40 countries, helping them to achieve their clean energy objectives and advance sustainable development. Masdar is jointly owned by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala), and Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA), and under this ownership the company is targeting a renewable energy portfolio capacity of at least 100 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 and an annual green hydrogen production capacity of up to 1 million tonnes by the same year.