SMART POLICY- Bye-bye, natgas plants. Hello, solar: The Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) wants to build 9 GW of solar plants and phase out conventional natural gas plants with a capacity of 7 GW in the coming 10 years, CEO Jasim Husain Thabet told Bloomberg on Thursday. His statements come as the company announced a new plan to lower its emissions by 25% by 2030 on Thursday.

Taqa wants renewable energy to comprise 30% of its power generation mix, as part of this emissions reduction plan. “Taqa has committed to a 25% reduction of scope one and two emissions by 2030 across the group, including a 33% reduction of UAE portfolio emissions,” the statement reads.

SOUND SMART- Scope one and scope two refer to emissions produced by generating power for its projects and the company’s own energy needs. It does not include the emissions of customers who burn the oil or gas provided by Taqa, which is commonly known as scope three.

The plan also touches on water: The company also wants to reduce water distribution loss by 25% in 2030. It plans to make reverse osmosis technology reach two-thirds of the company’s desalination capacity by 2030, according to a company statement on Thursday.

Taqa is serious about the plan (and potential returns): “These are not just pledges. It makes economic sense and will give us returns,” Thabet told Bloomberg.

UAE EYES THE CEMENT SECTOR-

The UAE’s Environment Ministry and Emirates RDF signed 4 MoUs with cement producers to use alternative fuel, state news agency WAM reported. Under the MoU, Lafarge Emirates, JSW Cement, Fujairah Cement Industries and Star Cement will include fuel generated from municipal solid waste by waste management company Emirates RDF into their energy mix.

Cement leaders concerned about emissions asked for this: Using alternative fuels and using low-emission inputs was among the main conclusions regional cement industry players agreed on at the recent World Cement Association (WCA) meetings in Dubai. These measures, along with economic incentives, such as carbon pricing and green procurement, could potentially reduce carbon emissions by 47%, according to cement industry consulting firm A3 & Co.

GO DEEPER- Cement’s carbon footprint is heavier than steel. Across the globe, cement generates the most carbon emissions per USD of revenue — with 6.9 kg of CO2 released, which is 5x more than steel. The biggest hurdle to decarbonization in the cement industry in our region is, simply, the lack of drive to act now, the WCA said.

Kuwait also took steps in the right direction earlier this month: The Kuwait City Municipality approved a project that uses refuse-driven fuel (RDF) to power its main cement production plant. The project will utilize solid, non-biodegradable waste to feed kilns at the Kuwait Cement Company (KCC) for further cement production.

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