Qatar to encourage transition to low-carbon energy

Doha: Under the patronage of Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, Minister of State for Energy Affairs H E Eng. Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi inaugurated yesterday the 7th General Conference of the Arab Union of Electricity in the presence of ministerial delegations headed by a number of Their Excellencies the Arab Ministers of Electricity and Energy.

In his speech at the opening session, Al Kaabi said that the conference constitutes a valuable opportunity to shed light on the opportunities and challenges facing this vital sector, and on ways and prospects for its development and advancement to the best levels, ensuring a prosperous future for all Arab peoples. He expressed hope that there would be an opportunity to form a more profound and accurate vision through the interest and follow-up of the Arab Union of Electricity, with the aim of building a unified Arab strategy based on best practices in the field of energy and renewable energy at the Arab and global levels.

The Minister stressed that Qatar, as one of the most important energy centres in the world, will work in cooperation with all brotherly countries to raise levels of interest in issues related to electricity, and activate joint coordination and constructive cooperation through electrical interconnection agreements and projects and strategic energy to support Arab electricity networks, as well as encouraging investment in the electricity sector to keep pace with the global transition to low-carbon energy and the use of renewable energy and cleaner energies, including natural gas.

H E Eng. Saad Sherida Al Kaabi pointed out that the work of the 7th General Conference of the Arab Union of Electricity (AUE) includes extensive sessions in which the future of renewable energies will be discussed and the possibilities of integrating them into Arab energy systems to convert them into integrated systems, which is in line with the direction of AUE towards striving to achieve environmental sustainability, and the development of the energy sectors in order to serve the economy and maintain environmental security by reducing carbon emissions and greenhouse gases, which is considered one of the most important issues at the present time, will be addressed.

The Minister said that the conference will discuss the development of policies and strategies for the electricity sector in the Arab world, the prospects for the common Arab electricity market, and electrical interconnection projects that will play a major role in enhancing prospects for joint cooperation and reducing the cost of energy production, which will positively affect the selling prices of electrical energy to consumers.

At the opening session, the new AUE logo was launched, followed by the inauguration by the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, accompanied by a number of Arab ministers of energy and electricity, of the exhibition accompanying the conference and the exhibition of electrical equipment and supplies for the production, transmission and distribution of electricity in the Arab countries in its 10th edition combined with the main exhibition.