UAE Launches 11 Green Energy Projects Worth $43 Bn

The UAE Minister of Energy, Suhail al-Mazrouei (AFP)
The UAE Minister of Energy, Suhail al-Mazrouei (AFP)
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UAE Launches 11 Green Energy Projects Worth $43 Bn

The UAE Minister of Energy, Suhail al-Mazrouei (AFP)
The UAE Minister of Energy, Suhail al-Mazrouei (AFP)

The UAE Minister of Energy, Suhail al-Mazrouei, said on Monday that several factors will drive oil prices in 2023, mainly the end of China's zero-COVID policy, the US decision to refill the Strategic Oil Reserve, the sanctions imposed on Russian seaborne oil products, and ongoing global inflation.

Mazrouei also said that other factors may negatively affect oil prices, including the global recession, China's decreasing demand for oil, and the resumption of trade between Russia and Europe.

UAE has launched 11 environmentally friendly energy projects worth $43.2 billion in 2022, announced the Minister.

Mazrouei stated that the UAE's clean energy production in 2021 totaled 7,035.75 megawatts (MW), underscoring the country's pioneering efforts in the clean energy sector.

He told Emirates News Agency (WAM) that the launch of the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, the first unified energy strategy by the UAE, aims to integrate renewable and clean energy mix to achieve a balance between economic needs and climate goals.

It also aims to reduce dependency on other fuel sources over the next three decades.

The Minister added that the UAE has adopted the latest innovations that drive sustainable development, to ensure the renewable energy sector's sustainability. He said that the UAE was among the first countries to ratify the Paris Agreement.

He pointed out that the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure established the features of the energy sector's future for the upcoming 50 years.

Mazrouei stressed that the contribution of clean energy to the energy mix in 2021 reached 19.63 percent, while the contribution of renewable energy reached 12 percent, and the contribution of peaceful nuclear power reached 7.55 percent by the end of 2021.

The global turmoil in energy supplies has created challenges related to energy security and will, therefore, lead to a focus on using the lowest-priced resources available locally, to meet the country's energy requirements, with an increase in exports in the non-oil sector from the UAE, he added.

He noted that the UAE has considerable potential in the field of solar power, and that its low cost will improve the country's energy security and competitiveness.

He explained that the progress achieved during the process of developing the four Barakah reactors, play a crucial role in reducing the carbon footprint of the UAE's energy sector, in reaching climate neutrality by 2050.

Mazrouei stressed that the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant is a leading innovative energy project in the energy transition process.

Once fully operational, Barakah’s four reactors would offset 22.4 million tons of carbon emissions annually, the leading cause of climate change.



Greek Government Debt Upgraded to Investment Grade, Closing Door on Painful Era

FILE - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis speaks in parliament ahead of the submission of a no-confidence motion by opposition parties over the government's handling of Greece's worst rail disaster two year ago, in Athens, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis, File)
FILE - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis speaks in parliament ahead of the submission of a no-confidence motion by opposition parties over the government's handling of Greece's worst rail disaster two year ago, in Athens, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis, File)
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Greek Government Debt Upgraded to Investment Grade, Closing Door on Painful Era

FILE - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis speaks in parliament ahead of the submission of a no-confidence motion by opposition parties over the government's handling of Greece's worst rail disaster two year ago, in Athens, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis, File)
FILE - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis speaks in parliament ahead of the submission of a no-confidence motion by opposition parties over the government's handling of Greece's worst rail disaster two year ago, in Athens, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis, File)

Greece’s center-right government on Saturday welcomed a credit rating upgrade by Moody’s, the last major ratings agency to lift junk status on government bonds that began 15 years ago during a severe debt crisis.
“(This) upgrade marks the closing of a great cycle for the Greek economy and certifies the country’s return to European normality,” Finance Minister Kostis Hatzidakis said, describing the action as “a success not only of the government, but of all Greeks.”
Moody’s announced the upgrade to Baa3 from Ba1 late Friday. It cited public finances that “have improved more quickly than we had expected” as a key factor in its decision, The Associated Press reported.
The agency highlighted the government’s policy stance, institutional improvements and stable political environment, saying it expects Greece to “continue to run substantial primary surpluses which will steadily decrease its high debt burden."
Although ratings agencies began returning Greece to investment grade in late 2023, the good news was met with relief by a government that has been hammered for weeks by strikes and protests over its handing of a deadly rail disaster two years ago.
Hatzidakis made the remarks hours before handing over the portfolio to Cabinet colleague Kyriakos Pierrakakis at a swearing-in ceremony later Saturday, a day after the government announced a reshuffle.
“Moody’s upgrade of Greece to Baa3 marks the final step in restoring our investment grade by all major rating agencies, highlighting Greece’s significant progress,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in an online post Saturday.
“We remain fully committed to reforms that attract investment, create jobs, and drive sustainable growth,” he said.
Greece spiraled into crisis in 2010 and received three international bailouts to avoid bankruptcy and repair its public finances through successive and grueling austerity programs imposed by European Union lenders and the International Monetary Fund.
National debt as a percentage of gross domestic product peaked in 2020, rising above 200%, but has been steadily falling since and is expected to drop below 150% this year, according to Greek central bank projections.
Moody’s praised the government’s ongoing debt reduction efforts.
“Over a number of years, the Greek public finances have outperformed our baseline expectations, which increases our confidence that Greek debt will remain on a firm downward path,” it said.
“These improvements are due to both ongoing expenditure restraint and tax revenues that are rising quickly in light of ongoing institutional improvements in tax compliance and collection.”