Friday 26 / July / 2024
Abu Dhabi: An agency set up in Oman to attract more investment into the country has made securing funding for renewable energy projects among its priorities, a senior official at the Environment Authority has said.
Speaking at the Regional Climate Dialogue, a meeting which has been organised in the United Arab Emirates to discuss plans countries have towards tackling climate change and related issues, Dr Abdullah bin Ali Al Omari, the chairman of the Environment Authority, said developing renewable energy is part of the country’s Vision 2040 plan.
“The Sultanate has embarked on implementing its plans to invest in clean and renewable energy through a number of projects in the field of solar and wind, which scientific studies have proven to be effective in the country,” he said.
“In 2019, The National Strategy for Adaptation and Mitigation of Climate Change was approved, while Oman Vision 2040 also includes clear goals for the implementation of that strategy.”
“The Sultanate is also ready to into regional and international investments and partnerships whenever the appropriate incentives and opportunities become available,” added Al Omari.
The chairman also affirmed that Oman supports the common goals of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries in the field of clean and renewable energy. The GCC consists of six member states: Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
The conference began on April 4, 2021, and also saw the participation of John Kerry, the US Presidential Envoy for Climate Affairs.
The first Regional Climate Dialogue focuses on national and regional preparations for the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26), set to run in November 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland. COP26 President Alok Sharma, and Francesco La Camera, the Director General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) also attended the event.
Core themes included accelerating the deployment of renewable energy solutions, exploring the potential of new zero-carbon energy sources, such as green and blue hydrogen, maximising the impact of mitigation technologies, including carbon capture, and reducing the carbon emission intensity of hydrocarbon fuels, on which the world will still rely during the energy transition.
The conversation discussed policies for adaptation to the impacts of accelerating climate change trends that are of particular concern to the region, such as food and water security, desertification mitigation and environmental conservation.
