Masdar gears up for ‘seizing the next decade’
abu dhabi — Masdar employees and alumni gathered in Masdar City to mark 10 years of achievement in advancing the clean energy industry in Abu Dhabi and around the world.
Under the banner ‘Seizing the Next Decade’, participants were invited to reflect on Masdar’s significant and widespread impact to date, and the promise of the next 10 years, as part of an organisation defined by the spirit of partnership, collaboration and innovation.
During the breakfast reception, Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of State and chairman of Masdar; and Ahmed Al Sayegh, chairman of Abu Dhabi Global Market, were honoured for their contribution to Masdar’s success. Dr Ahmad bin Abdulla Humaid Belhoul, Minister of Higher Education; members of Masdar’s board of directors; and associates from Mubadala Development Company also attended the breakfast gathering, including Musabbeh Al Kaabi, CEO of Mubadala Petroleum, and Carlos Obeid, group chief financial officer at Mubadala.
In his opening remarks, Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, chief executive officer of Masdar, described the company’s impact over the last decade and outlined his vision for the company in the years ahead.
“The last ten years of Masdar have truly been a decade of innovation. We have grown from a bold initiative into a global enterprise driving the adoption of clean energy and sustainable development. We are a major investor in renewable energy, deploying new capacity around the world and increasingly here in the region. We are building the world’s most sustainable city, home to the world’s first graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies. And we are the hub of the global sustainability debate, thanks to platforms such as Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week,” he said.
Masdar achieved sustained profitability across its business units in 2015. Its renewable energy arm has deployed 1GW of clean energy and has another 0.7 under development. Masdar City is set to expand to 35 per cent of its planned built-up area in the next five years as part of its journey building a ‘greenprint’ for cities of the future. Masdar is also undertaking pioneering innovation in the critical fields of renewable powered desalination, carbon capture, utilisation and storage, and energy and battery storage.
“Our goal over the next 10 years is to strengthen the position of clean energy in the global energy mix, and the international standing of the UAE as a responsible energy leader,” added Al Ramahi. “By continuing to make clean energy commercially viable, we are helping to protect the planet, to inspire innovation and new industries, and to diversify not only the economy of the UAE but economies around the world. We have ambitious aims, and over the last ten years we have taken steady steps towards them every day.”