The UAE Energy Strategy 2050 - (PDF, 67.9 MB) was launched in 2017 as the first unified energy strategy in the country that is based on balancing supply and demand with environmental obligations and creating a conducive economic environment for growth.

Given the recent dynamic changes in the energy sector, the maturity of emerging low-emission energy technologies, and the country’s commitment to the objectives of the Paris Agreement, the UAE Energy Strategy 2050 was updated, setting goals for 2030 and ambitions for 2050 to reach net zero.

The move aligns with the declaration of H. H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan marking 2023 as the Year of Sustainability, under the theme ‘Today for Tomorrow’. 

Updates in the UAE Energy Strategy 2050

The picture below shows the changes made in the UAE Energy Strategy 2050

Aim of the UAE Energy Strategy 2050

The updated strategy aims to promote the deployment of renewable and nuclear energies, enhance energy efficiency, drive R&D and innovation in energy technologies, increase local clean energy capacity, and encourage investments in the country’s renewable and clean energy sector. 

It aims to triple the contribution of the renewable energy and invest between AED 150 and AED 200 billion by 2030 to meet the country’s increasing demand for energy.

The updated strategy outlines a long-term national programme to balance meeting the rising energy demand and sustaining natural resources for generations to come. In the first phase, which runs till 2030, the strategy aims to:

• reduce emissions from the water and energy sectors to ensure they achieve net zero by 2050
• eliminate the contribution of clean coal to the energy mix, ensuring the country's leadership and achieving climate neutrality goals by 2050
• increase individual and institutional energy consumption efficiency by 42-45 per cent, compared to 2019
• triple the share of renewable energy by 2030
• increase the installed clean energy capacity from 14.2 GW to 19.8 GW by 2030
• surge the share of installed clean energy capacity in the total energy mix to 30 per cent by 2030
• increase the contribution of clean energy generation by 2030 to 32 per cent to ensure the country is on track to achieve its climate change mitigation goals
• create 50,000 new green jobs by 2030
• achieve financial saving of AED 100 billion and mobilise investments between AED 150 and 200 billion by 2030 to ensure the energy demand is met and to sustain economic growth in the UAE. 

The picture below highlights the UAE’s journey to achieve net zero by 2050

The UAE has one of the lowest grid emission factors, compared to the global average. It aims to achieve a grid emission factor of 0.27 kg CO2/kWh by 2030.

*Text and images provided by Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure.

Read news coverage on WAM.

Related links:

• Updated UAE Energy Strategy 2050 - (PDF, 67.9 MB) - MOEI
• Energy Strategies to Achieve Net Zero - ( PDF, 25.0 MB)