UAE starts first wind power plants ahead of COP28

The United Arab Emirates has started its first utility-scale wind power project as the country burnishes its green credentials before hosting a major global climate conference later this year.

Abu Dhabi’s government-owned renewable energy producer, Masdar, has built 103.5 megawatts of wind capacity across four sites, including two islands in the Arabian Gulf, the company said in a statement. The project uses technology to generate energy even at low wind speeds, allowing it to adapt to conditions in the UAE, it said.

The UAE was the first Arabian Gulf oil producer to declare a target to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Even as it prepares to host the United Nations’ COP28 climate summit, the country is ramping up oil and gas production capacity.

Government-owned producer Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. is working on projects to capture carbon dioxide at its processing plants. It also plans to use the UAE’s green and nuclear power to reduce emissions and help reach the climate target.

Masdar, the country’s biggest clean-power producer, plans to double capacity this year as it seeks to have 100 gigawatts of gross capacity by the end of the decade, Chief Executive Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi said in an interview last month.