German Ambassador to Qatar H E Dr. Claudius Fischbach
Doha: A number of German companies are eyeing new partnerships with Qatar to work on projects related to future technologies, particularly hydrogen tech, as European economies ramp up their efforts towards sustainable development.
Speaking to The Peninsula on the sidelines of Dorsch Qatar’s 10th anniversary celebration in Doha yesterday, German Ambassador to Qatar H E Dr. Claudius Fischbach said Germany seeks to increase its cooperation with Qatar on projects around sustainability as the country moves forward to its post-World Cup and post-oil economy.
“We’re exploring areas where we can cooperate beyond the World Cup. And I believe future technologies like for instance hydrogen, e-mobility, solar energy, and all forms of environmentally sound and sustainable strategies are some of the most important,” the Ambassador said.
However, the Ambassador was also quick to reiterate the importance of gas, and added: “We think that gas is a really important energy for the future. It is a bridging technology, and it plays its role. Right now we see in Europe how much we need gas. And nobody puts into doubt that gas is more environmentally friendly than all the other forms of energy, which is especially true for the Qatari gas. But still, we also need a net zero at the end. And to achieve net zero, we will only get there with other technologies like solar, wind, biomass, and hydrogen”.
To date, there are over 150 German companies operating in Qatar, with several brands heavily involved in the country’s push towards sustainable development.
“What they (Dorsch Qatar) have done in Lusail was the biggest project for a city. It’s practically a future city, where you have sun energy being produced by photovoltaic systems in every rooftop. And the cars in the garage underneath can be filled up with electricity overnight. I think this is a nice example that German companies can contribute to reduce the carbon footprint of this country,” Fischbach said.
He went on to reiterate other projects by German companies, including Siemens’ role in Qatar’s first solar energy plant, and other German companies which helped build the trams in Msheireb and Lusail.
“So there are many fields, and we are very willing to do more. What we would wish for is that Qatar might itself be for instance, even more active in the field of future technologies like for instance hydrogen. And there are so many German companies which would just love to cooperate as they do in other Gulf countries, in order to promote this energy of the future,” Fischbach added.
Also talking to The Peninsula on the sidelines of the event, Qatar Chamber Chairman Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al Thani pointed out that trade between Qatar and Germany has been consistently growing.
“There are more investments, and we see more German companies coming to Qatar. Volkswagen has opened their headquarters in Msheireb, and Qatar is making more investments in Germany. Also, German companies are coming to invest in the Qatar Freezones. Qatar Chamber always invites investors to come to Qatar, while we also encourage Qatari entrepreneurs to invest abroad. And now that more countries are opening and especially after Ramadan, we expect to see more trade delegations between Qatar and other countries,” Sheikh Khalifa added.
