UAE signs deal with environmental organization to achieve renewable energy target

DUBAI, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities signed Wednesday a deal with a local environmental organization to achieve the renewable energy target of 44 percent by 2050, UAE state news agency WAM reported.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), part of the National Energy Strategy, was signed between the UAE Ministry of Energy and Industry and the Emirates Wildlife Society (EWS).

"This partnership will contribute to achieving the ambitious goals set by the government of the UAE to ensure sustainable development for future generations, especially as the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) has extensive expertise and more experience," said Matar Hamed Al Neyadi, the under-secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Industry.

Since its establishment in 2001, EWS has been working in association with the WWF. According to its website, the mission of EWS is "to protect biodiversity in key sites across the emirates including species and ecosystems of concern in the region."

Laila Mustafa Abdul Latif, general manager of the EWS, also hailed the MoU as a boost to the development of green economy in the UAE.

"The strategic partnership will allow us to jointly promote renewable energy options in the UAE, address climate change, and air pollution by taking advantage of the rapid development of technology and lower costs, as both are critical to the growth and prosperity of the green economy in the UAE," he said.

The UAE has been committed to producing at least 7 percent of total power generation from clean energy such as solar, wind and bio energy by 2020, according to the ministry's website.

As a major oil supplier, the UAE, which hosts the biggest solar plants in the Gulf region, has also set its target for power generation from renewable sources to 30 percent by 2030, and to 44 percent by 2050. Enditem