renewable energy

Energy company Masdar and EMSTEEL, a UAE steel and building materials company, have announced the completion of a pilot project demonstrating the use of green hydrogen to produce green steel.

The Abu Dhabi-based pilot project, the first-of-its-kind in the Middle East and North African region, uses green hydrogen to extract iron from iron ore, a key step in steelmaking.

“Decarbonization of hard-to-abate industries is vital to the global undertaking to achieve the objectives of the historic UAE Consensus agreed at COP28. Green hydrogen is an essential element in advancing national and global decarbonization efforts and we are proud to be at the forefront of that endeavor,” said Masdar Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi.

While a key industry globally, steel is considered hard to abate and highly carbon-intensive, contributing around eight per cent of worldwide carbon emissions.

According to the two parties, the renewable hydrogen produced by the project has been certified by Avance Labs, the hydrogen code manager accredited by the International Tracking Standard Foundation, in accordance with the recently released ISO 19870 methodology for hydrogen.

The certification data was validated by Bureau Veritas, acting as the third-party assurance provider.

The UAE has signed an investment deal with the Indian state of Rajasthan to explore a 60 GW renewable energy project involving solar, wind and hybrid installations in the state’s Western district. 

The UAE announced that a developer will be appointed to implement the initiative in collaboration with Indian authorities.

The agreement was signed by Mohammed Hassan Alsuwaidi, UAE Minister of Investment, and Shri Ajitabh Sharma, Principal Secretary of Industries in the Government of Rajasthan. 

“This project highlights our unwavering commitment to advancing clean energy solutions”, said the UAE Minister of Investment. “Rajasthan, with its favourable climate and vast landmass, offers the ideal environment for this initiative, serving as a testing ground for innovative technologies that will shape the future of energy.” 

According to the two parties, the development of this project builds on the wider investment cooperation between the UAE Ministry of Investment and India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

The agreement aims to use renewable energy technologies to build a long-term plant to meet the state’s energy demands, it was shared.

More broadly, Rajasthan aims to reduce its carbon intensity by 45 per cent by 2030 and reach Net Zero emissions by 2070.  

According to a statement by the Rajasthan Government, this initiative corresponds to an investment of INR 3 trillion (USD $35.7 billion).  

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is convening its 28th Council meeting in Abu Dhabi this week, ahead of COP29. With 350 government representatives from 119 countries present, the meeting will reportedly discuss IRENA’s work, assess global progress following COP28, and explore strategies to mobilise energy transition finance. 

The council meeting, running across two days is the last before the climate conference in November.

Back at COP28 in Dubai, nearly 200 countries pledged to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030. However, IRENA’s recent review of the pledge found that current national plans are projected to deliver only half of the required growth in renewable power by 2030 to limit rising global temperatures to 1.5°C.

Moreover, while the report revealed that annual investments in solar PV are on track to meet the USD 397 billion required each year until 2030, other technologies continue to be underfunded.

Indeed, apart from solar PV, capacity additions for all renewable energy technologies are below the level required to meet the tripling target.

Compared to 2023 capacity, the world needs:

• Three times more onshore wind,
• Six times more offshore wind and bioenergy, and
• Thirty-five times more geothermal.

“The 1.5°C target is still within reach, but the risk of missing it is becoming increasingly near,” commented IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera. “The third round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) must close the gap towards 2030. With COP29 less than a month away, the gathering of the IRENA Council presents another opportunity to re-emphasise the urgent need to approach Baku with significantly heightened ambition.”

According to the organisation, the 28th IRENA Council will engage in discussions on national experiences in energy transition, challenges and opportunities to enhance the mobilisation of finance towards renewables, and technologies and partnerships for the energy transformation of small island economies.

The two-day meetings will also collaboratively consider the implementation of the Agency’s work programme and budget.