Newsroom

Masdar City hosted two high-level government delegations on the same day this week, with representatives from the UK and Spain meeting with Masdar senior management, including Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi. 

From the UK, HE Lord Edward Udny-Lister, who officially started his role as Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Special Envoy for the Gulf this month, met with Al Ramahi and Yousef Baselaib, Executive Director, Strategy & Corporate Development. The UK delegation also included Simon Penney, HM Trade Commissioner for the Middle East and HM Consul General Dubai, and HE Patrick Moody, HM Ambassador to the UAE. The meeting covered a range of topics, including Masdar’s role in the clean energy sector, and progress on discussions with companies based in the UK. 

The Spanish delegation was headed by HE Xiana Méndez, Minister of State for Trade, and included HE Antonio Álvarez Barthe, Ambassador to the UAE. The delegation met with Al Ramahi, and Fawaz Al Muharrami, Director, Delivery, Bids and Supply Chain, and the meeting focused on the participation of Spanish companies in Masdar projects, and areas of potential future cooperation. 

All meetings complied with relevant COVID-19 protocols. 

watch video

Seven high-level government delegations visited Masdar City on the sidelines of the World Energy Congress, where they learned about Masdar’s strategic platforms, sustainable urban development and Clean Energy portfolio. 

The delegations to Masdar City during the week included HE Kersti Kaljulaid, President of the Republic of Estonia, HE Sontirat Sontijirawong, Minister of Energy, Kingdom of Thailand, HE Dr Awang Haji Mat Suny bin Haji Md Hussein, Minister of Energy, Manpower and Industry, Brunei, HE Joseph Mizzi, Minister of Energy and Water Management, Republic of Malta, HE Barshaman Pun, Minister of Energy, Water Resources, Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, HE Diego Mesa, Vice-Minister of Energy, Republic of Colombia, and Younghoon Kim, Chairman of the World Energy Council.

During their visits, the delegations met with various senior Masdar leadership and discussed a range of topics including the global impact of Masdar’s Clean Energy portfolio, infrastructure and cities, and Masdar’s strategic initiatives. 

A delegation the Department of Mineral Fuels, Ministry of Energy, Kingdom of Thailand, led by its Director-General Premrutai Vinaiphat, visited Masdar City this week, where they were briefed on the latest developments of the city and learned more about Masdar’s Clean Energy portfolio.  

The delegation met with Masdar representatives including Yousif Al Ali, Acting Executive Director, Clean Energy, Saleh Al Zubaidi, Stakeholder Relations, Brand and Strategic Initiatives and Maryam Al Mazrouei, Analyst, Business Development, Clean Energy. 

During their visit, the delegation also discussed the city’s mobility strategy and experienced its NAVYA and PRT autonomous vehicles before learning about Masdar’s strategic initiative Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. 

The Department of Mineral Fuels of the Ministry of Energy is the sole governmental agency overseeing the upstream petroleum industries of Thailand. Its main responsibilities include the promotion of petroleum exploration and exploitation, enhancement of domestic petroleum supply, and acceleration of petroleum development in overlapping claimed areas.

watch video

Five high-level government delegations visited Masdar City on the sidelines of this week’s Abu Dhabi Climate Meeting, where they learned more about Masdar’s strategic platforms and Clean Energy portfolio.

The delegations to visit Masdar City during the week included HE Paula Francisco Coelho, Angola’s Minister of Environment; the Hon. Ajith Mannapperuma, Sri Lanka’s State Minister of Mahaweli Development and Environment; HE Il-pyo Hong, South Korea’s Deputy Trade, Industry and Energy Minister; Michał Kurtyka, Poland’s Secretary of State in the Ministry of Energy and the Government Plenipotentiary for the COP24 Presidency; and Marcel Beukeboom, Climate Envoy for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy.

During their visits, the delegations met with various senior Masdar leadership and discussed a range of topics, including climate action and finance, the potential of youth in addressing sustainability challenges, and infrastructure and cities.

HE Ricardo Salles, Brazilian Minister of Environment, and an accompanying delegation visited Masdar City, where they were briefed on the latest developments taking place at the city and learned more about Masdar’s worldwide Clean Energy portfolio. 

The delegation toured the city in the autonomous NAVYA vehicle before meeting with senior Masdar leadership including CEO Mohamed Al Ramahi, Yousif Al Ali, Acting Executive Director, Clean Energy, Yousef Ahmed Baselaib, Executive Director, Sustainable Real Estate and Dr Lamya Fawwaz, Executive Director, Brand & Strategic Initiatives. 

The total renewables share in the energy mix of Brazil rose to 45.3% in 2018. In the electricity supply mix, renewable sources reached a share of 83.3% in 2018, up from 80.5% in 2017 with solar's share growing the most.

HE Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, President of Burkina Faso, and an accompanying delegation from the West African country visited Masdar City recently, meeting with our CEO Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi and other senior Masdar officials.

Kaboré was briefed on Masdar’s role as a global renewable energy leader and also as a pioneer for sustainable real estate through its development of Masdar City, which is now home to more than 600 businesses. 

During his two-day visit to the UAE, President Kaboré met with the country’s leadership to discuss investment and business opportunities between the two nation’s public and private sectors.

The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, HE Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and a delegation of senior government officials, visited Masdar earlier this week.

The delegation toured Masdar City in a visit that underscores the UAE and Uzbekistan’s shared commitment to support efforts to drive efficiency and expansion in the Uzbek economy.

HE Suhail Al Mazroui, UAE Minister of Energy and Industry, accompanied President Mirziyoyev on the visit to Masdar. Bader Al Lamki, Executive Director of Masdar Clean Energy, provided the delegation with an overview of Masdar’s clean energy projects, while Abdulla Balalaa, Director of Real Estate Development and Design of Sustainable Real Estate, provided an overview of Masdar City’s sustainably designed and energy efficient buildings. Dr. Hatem Zein El din, Acting Senior Director of Khalifa University’s Masdar Campus, led the delegation through a tour of the university’s cutting-edge research laboratories.

Following the tour, President Mirziyoyev attended an exchange of agreements between the Republic of Uzbekistan and Mubadala Investment Company. The exchange was observed by HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. The agreements focused on the conventional power generation, renewables and the oil & gas sectors of Uzbekistan’s economy

Official documents were also exchanged pertaining to agreements between Masdar, JSC Uzbekenergo and the Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade to pursue renewable energy projects in Uzbekistan.

The Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum selling artist Akon visited Masdar this week, meeting with senior management to learn more about the company’s global projects, initiatives and achievements.

The former RnB singer has shared interests in sustainable development and innovative technology having launched Akon Lighting Africa in 2014, which now provides solar electricity in 15 African countries and employs thousands of young people across the African continent.

Since its launch, the company has helped install 100,000 solar street lamps, 1,200 solar micro-grids and 102,000 solar domestic kits to provide lighting to some of the 600 million people in Africa who currently live without access to electricity.

During a tour of Masdar City highlighting Masdar’s Clean Energy portfolio, its strategic initiatives and mobility strategy, Akon and his delegation met with our CEO Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi; Bader Al Lamki, Executive Director of Clean Energy; Osama Al Othman, Head, Mergers and Acquisition Clean Energy and Shaima Al Jarman, Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications.

His Excellency Dr Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, visited Masdar City in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. He was received by a delegation led by HE Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State and Chairman of Masdar (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company); Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO of Masdar; Yousef Baselaib, Masdar’s Executive Director for Sustainable Real Estate; and Bader Al Lamki, Masdar’s Executive Director for Clean Energy.

Prime Minister Ahmed, who assumed office in April, was briefed on Masdar’s mandate to deliver on the renewable energy vision of Abu Dhabi and to catalyze clean technology investments in the Arab world and international markets. 

Masdar officials presented on the company’s diverse portfolio of projects, including Shams 1, the largest renewable energy project in the MENA region at the time of its inauguration in 2013; London Array, still the world’s largest offshore wind farm in operation; and the 800-megawatt expansion of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai. 

The Ethiopian prime minister was also briefed on the progress of Masdar City, Abu Dhabi’s flagship sustainable urban community, and the Eco-Villa prototype, which showcases practical and affordable solutions in residential building design. Prime Minister Ahmed also witnessed first-hand Masdar’s investment in sustainable mobility, taking a short ride in one of the city’s iconic Personal Rapid Transit vehicles, and was briefed on the locally designed and manufactured Eco-Bus.  

The tour concluded with a visit to selected laboratories of the Masdar Institute, part of the Khalifa University of Science and Technology.

Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) welcomed Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Luxembourg together with His Excellency Etienne Schneider, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy to Masdar City.

Their visit included a meeting with Masdar CEO, Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, to hear about Masdar’s sustainability mandate and the company’s investments in international and local clean energy projects. The delegation toured Masdar City, one of the world’s leading sustainable communities, as well as the Yahsat Space Lab in Masdar Institute, part of Khalifa University of Science and Technology.

Delegation participants included:

• 1.HRH Prince Guillaume, Crown Prince of Luxembourg
• 2.HRH Princess Stéphanie, Crown Princess of Luxembourg
• 3.H.E. Mr Étienne Schneider, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
• 4.H.E. Ms Elisabeth Cardoso, Ambassador of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in the United Arab Emirates
• 5.Major Tom Pesché, Aide-de-Camp or TRH
• 6.Ms. Maggy Nagel, Commissioner general of Luxembourg at the Dubai 2020 Expo
• 7.Mr. Daniel Da Cruz, Director general for Foreign Trade and Investment at the Ministry of Economic Affairs
• 8.Mr. André Hansen, Deputy Director for Foreign Trade and Investment at the Ministry of Economic Affairs
• 9.Mr. Marc Scheer - Advisor at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Secretary general of Luxembourg at the Expo 2020 Dubai
• 10.Mr. Loïc Bertoli, Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in the UAE, Executive Director of the Luxembourg Trade and Investment Office and Deputy Commissioner of Luxembourg at the Expo 2020 Dubai
• 11.Mrs. Jamila Kelly - Executive Assistant at the Embassy of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in the UAE
• 12.Mr. Jean-Christophe Verhaegen, Official Photographer
• 13.Mr. Thierry Quintus - Security agent of the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Economy, Internal Security and Defence of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg