Dubai plans to slash emissions by 30% by 2030

Dubai plans to cut carbon emissions by 30% by the end of 2030 as part of the UAE's efforts to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, the emirate's Supreme Council of Energy said on Feb. 6.

"The council has started evaluating carbon emissions for the next 10 years, in collaboration with the relevant organizations in Dubai, to come up with the required measures to reduce emissions. A roadmap will then define the way to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050," Saeed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and head of the emirate's utility, said.

Dubai's carbon abatement strategy follows the UAE's pledge ahead of COP26 in Glasgow to offset all of its emissions by 2050. The UAE was the first Middle Eastern oil exporter to table its nationally determined contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to become carbon-neutral by the middle of the century.

Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, also followed through with plans to offset its domestic emissions by 2060. Its neighbor and close ally Bahrain is also targeting a similar timeline to reach net-zero.

Low-carbon strategy

Dubai's plans to offset emissions include diversifying its power mix away from reliance on gas. The emirate is developing large-scale renewables schemes, particularly in solar, to lower its reliance on hydrocarbons.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, the emirate's main utility, looks to connect the planned 5,000-MW Mohammed bin Rashid solar park to the grid by 2030. The project is the linchpin of the emirate's strategy to produce up to three-quarters of its total power from clean energy by 2050.

On Feb. 3, Dubai's utility said it planned to convert its 2,400-MW Hassyan "clean coal" power plant to run on natural gas. The DEWA agreed with Hassyan Energy Co. to make the conversion, without saying why clean coal is being abandoned.

Dubai previously said it aims to have an energy mix of 25% solar, 7% nuclear power, 7% from clean coal and 61% from natural gas by 2030. The emirate currently consumes about 1.5 Bcf/d of natural gas, much of which is imported from Qatar.