Abu Dhabi seeks global lead in sustainable development

With plans for a carbon neutral city, the attention of an increasingly environmentally conscious world has turned to Abu Dhabi as UAE capital bids to establish a global lead in sustainable development, says an industry expert.

“The immediate focus in Masdar City – a zero-carbon, zero-waste, renewable energy powered and car-free environment which is part of Abu Dhabi’s $15 billion Masdar Initiative,” said Riad Mannan, Director of the Cityscape Abu Dhabi Sustainable Development Conference.

“The threat of global warming is concentrating minds on the way we live and work,” he adds.
The conference will focus on leading real estate developers, designers, architects and contractors who will discuss finding new ways to design and build sustainable buildings. The conference takes place at the second Cityscape Abu Dhabi – the International Property Investment Show – at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from May 13-15.

Cityscape Abu Dhabi, launched last year with the support of key government agencies, surpassed all expectations. This year the event is expected to attract more than 25,000 visitors from over 100 counties with more than 300 exhibitors showcasing projects from over 50 different counties.

Masdar CEO Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, a key speaker at the conference, says that the zero-carbon city will be “a living example of sustainable development” which will position Abu Dhabi at the forefront of new energy utilization. “Today, as global demand for energy continues to expand and as climate change becomes a real and growing concern, the time has come to look to the future,” Al Jaber says.

As a further sign of its leading role in sustainable development, Abu Dhabi has signed a two-year agreement with the global conservation organization WWF to help monitor the emirate’s ecological footprint and develop strategies to reduce it to a suitable level.

A parallel conference on Real Estate Finance and Investment will also bring together leading investors, property developers, bakers, fund groups and all those ultimately interested in the real estate property market in the region.

CITYSCAPE ABU DHABI

■ Platinum sponsors of Cityscape Abu Dhabi include Mubadala, Aldar Properties, Sorouh, Escan, The Land Holding Company and Al Qudra Real Estate. Dubai World Central, Tameer and Saudi Oger have taken Gold sponsorship and the Silver sponsorship is Future Brand and DAS Holding. The Associate sponsor this year is The Department of Municipal Affairs, Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

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Taqa plans $1.1bn bond sale

State-controlled Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa), a utility and petroleum producer, said on Tuesday it plans to sell as much as 4.15 billion dirhams ($1.13 billion) of convertible bonds.

Shareholders of the UAE-based company, that last year agreed on $11 billion of acquisitions from Canada to India, will meet next week to discuss the proposal, Taqa said, without giving further details about the planned sale.

Taqa Chief Executive Peter Barker-Homek said in December the company may sell convertible bonds this year to finance buyouts.

Last month, it said it was delaying a decision to sell the securities.

The company plans to triple the value of its assets to $60 billion by the end of 2012, from about $21 billion at the end of last year.

Taqa in November won Canadian approval to buy PrimeWest Energy Trust for C$5 billion ($4.98 billion) and the Canadian unit of Pioneer Natural Resource Company for $540 million.

The government of Abu Dhabi, the world's fifth-largest oil exporter, owns 75% of Taqa. The rest is publicly traded. (Reuters)

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Abu Dhabi energy giants to build water and power plants in Asian subcontinent

Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) and Abu Dhabi-based Oasis International Power said on Wednesday they plan to build water and power plants in Asian subcontinent.
Rapid economic growth and population expansion in the subcontinent had seen demand for energy and water increase sharply.


The companies said soaring demand had created a lot of growth opportunities for companies in the utilities sector.

“We both recognise the huge potential in the power generation and water market in and around the Asian subcontinent,” Peter Barker-Homek, Taqa chief executive, said in a statement.

Oasis Director Salem Al Neyadi said the pair had identified several projects "that show great potential", without being more specific.

“It is too early to disclose detail," he said.

Taqa and Oasis said any joint venture would be managed on a project by project and that the agreement between the two companies does not include any capital commitments at this stage.

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DEWA signs contracts worth AED 12bn

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), on the sidelines of the Wetex exhibition in Dubai, signed six contracts with various global firms for major projects in the sectors of power generation, water desalination and construction of transformer stations and fuel supply lines in the emirate. The contracts worth AED 12bn were signed between DEWA's managing director and chief executive officer Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer and the CEOs of various firms.

Al Tayer said that the projects are envisioned as per directives from Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai H.H.Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and in line with DEWA's strategy which conforms to the over all strategy set for the emirate. The projects will support the city's rapid economic growth and population increase.

The AED 10.15bn power generation and water desalination plant to be set up in Jebel Ali will be operational by 2010 summer. The projects also comprise construction of a separate water desalination plant at a cost of AED 3.95bn with a total production capacity of 140mn gallons. The project will be completed by June 2010. (WAM)

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Adnoc to introduce low sulphur diesel

In its commitment to producing clean energy, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), which introduced unleaded low sulphur petrol in all its petrol stations about two years back, would soon introduce the low sulphur diesel (10 ppm green diesel) to be available by 2010

'Adnoc Distribution has also introduced a pilot filling station for cars converted to CNG mode. The full-scale adoption of this scheme will depend on the results of the ongoing evaluation,' said Yousef Omair bin Yousef, CEO, Adnoc, in an interview published in this month's edition of Adnoc News.

Adnoc had achieved several milestones and contributed positively to address national and international issues. 'We had implemented and are continually developing new initiatives and projects. For example, we have drastically reduced flaring of hydrocarbon (HC) by approximately 73 per cent during 1995-2007, which also helped cut down drastically the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) generated due to flaring,' he said.

Adnoc had implemented projects for CO2 capture and its reuse as a raw material in the production of urea fertiliser at its subsidiary FERTIL.

Bin Yousef said the company was in partnership with Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (MASDAR) to identify potential projects within the group's operating facilities and implement and register CO2 emission reduction credits with the UN in line with the Kyoto Protocol.

The company, he said, had contributed to afforestation through the implementation of several greening projects and had undertaken mangrove plantation in the shorelines of its oil and gas islands, in addition to phasing out CFC chemicals used for refrigeration. Source

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Water master plan for Abu Dhabi

It is a rare honour for an Indian scientist. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University’s (TNAU) Dr. K Palanisami is part of an eight-member international committee to prepare a `Water Master Plan’ for the Abu Dhabi Government in UAE.

Palanisami, Director of Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development in TNAU, joins representatives from the US, UK, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine and Emirates to chart a joint report on behalf of the International Centre for Bio-Saline Agriculture (ICBSA).

The team has visited Abu Dhabi in the last week of January and travelled the length and breadth of the country. “I have been entrusted with the job of economic and investment planning,” Palanisami told this website’s newspaper here on Thursday. The team will prepare a master plan considering future demand for water, investments needed in desalination, waste water treatment and groundwater development.

The annual rainfall in Abu Dhabi is only 150 to 200 mm and the current demand for domestic use is met by desalination of seawater. For non-agricultural demand they use treated municipal water and for agricultural needs they depend on groundwater, he noted.

Mentioning the over usage of drinking water in Coimbatore he said “The city’s water resources, if used properly, can serve the requirements of the city for another ten years.” He revealed that 45 percent of drinking water is wasted by leakages. A re-survey of our water resources is the need of the time, he said. Source

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Dh569b investment needed in ME utility sector over 10 years

Facing serious water and power shortages by 2012, the UAE is part of a wider regional market that needs at least Dh569.2 billion ($155 billion) in investment over the next 10 years to improve its power generating capacity.

Bahrain will have the same problem by 2013, or three years later than Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The last three countries will have water and power shortages of 35 per cent each by 2010, according to Septech Emirates.

A UAE-based infrastructure specialist, Septech said that the figures were reached after considering the current power capacity across the Middle East and North and South Africa. It also added the projected 24-per cent capacity under construction.

"With the growing population and mega-scale industrial and real-estate developments, demand for power is estimated to rise considerably," it said, stressing that the private sector would invest Dh275.4 billion ($75 billion) in various projects for the next 10 years.

In a statement yesterday, Septech said that UAE authorities have been struggling to ensure that the demand for water and power does not outpace the supply after three years of unprecedented economic and population growth.

It said that the more than 20 countries in the Middle East and North Africa have a combined population of 310 million. It added that the region's labour force would reach 85 million by 2010 because of massive construction projects. Source

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Abu Dhabi sets course for a cleaner energy future

Abu Dhabi is setting course for a cleaner energy future as it diversifies the economy in preparation for the time when it will not be able to rely so heavily on oil revenues, according to authoritative The Report: Abu Dhabi 2007, published by the UK-based publishing, research and consultancy services organization Oxford Business Group (OBG).

The emirate, says The Report, has been able to orchestrate an industry-wide cooperation with its 60% stake in energy ventures through the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), as it heads into the global green energy boom As a result, Abu Dhabi, seeking to lay a firm foundation for energy beyond oil, is putting some comprehensive programmes into place.

This has been triggered by three main trends, a growing environmental consciousness, a desire to preserve Abu Dhabi's comparative advantage in the energy sector in the years ahead, and soaring domestic demand for energy.

Going green will be not only an ecologically sound step for Abu Dhabi, but also one that is likely to generate significant new economic opportunities.

The importance of environmental protection is emphasized by Yousef Omair bin Yousef, CEO, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) who told The Report in an exclusive interview: ADNOC is committed to ensuring that its group of companies conducts their business with full concern for the environment. The environment is a crucial resource and its protection has become one of the main priorities of many nations, especially during economic development.

This has led to the need to integrate three dimensions into one mechanism: social improvement, economic growth and environmental protection.

This is referred to as sustainable development. It requires the combination of these dimensions and encourages economic growth to support clean technologies and social improvement.? He said ADNOC and its group of companies would ensure and protect the balance of environmental conditions and contribute to sustainable development by implementing tight health, safety and environment management systems.

"From our point of view, our responsibilities dictate to us to be diligent and very much on our toes," he said.

"We must take the best decisions possible to maintain our environmental and social goals as well as our company's future well being and economic competitiveness." The Report, Abu Dhabi 2007, available in print form or online, is one of OBG's publications, which are renowned as leading sources of information on emerging and developing economies around the world. (WAM)

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QE Petro Holding plans to build new oil refineries

Abu-Dhabi based Quality Energy Petro Holding is planning to build a 500,000 barrels-per-day refinery in the United Arab Emirates and another smaller plant in Russia, the company's chief executive said on Wednesday.

The UAE refinery has an estimated price tag of $12.8 billion, QE's Chief Executive Adil al-Otaiba said. Plans were at a preliminary stage, he added.

The decision to proceed with both the UAE and Russian plants would depend on securing a guaranteed supplier of crude locked into a 15-year contract, he added.

"The whole thing is a very, very early stage," he told Reuters, talking of the UAE refinery.

"The main issue is the supply of crude. If we can't find a way of doing it, then of course it will be cancelled."

QE was proposing that the Russian government undertake a crude swap with Iran to feed the plant in the UAE with Iranian crude, Otaiba said.

"That would be a better supply arrangement as it would be a government-to-government deal," he added. If Iranian crude were used as a feedstock, QE would look at building a pipeline from southern Iran to the UAE, he added. (Reuters)

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