UAE to invest AED7.5bn in UK renewables sector

ABU DHABI / WAM

Baroness Rona Fairhead, UK Minister of State for Trade and Export Promotion at the Department for International Trade (DIT) told Emirates News Agency (WAM) that the UAE is to invest 1.5 billion Pounds (AED7.5billion) in the UK in areas of renewable energy.
“Brexit will help the UK pursue a more open economic policy. We are accelerating relations with more countries around the world and we are working extremely well with the UAE across multiple investment domains, particularly in areas of R&D, clean energy and new technologies,” the Minister said on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, being held in the UAE capital.
“The UAE is UK’s 4th largest partner outside Europe. You come only next to US, China and India, which means that the UAE is a very significant partner for us. Over the coming period, we will build on our strengths and continue our investments, improving efficiency and investing heavily in new technologies. We will share technology.”
“More importantly, we have a lot of people here. We have more than 120,000 UK nationals in the UAE, and more than 6,000 UK companies operating in the country, which means a good basis, but more needs to be done.”
British exports to the UAE cover a wide spectrum of sectors, including telecommunications, power generation machinery and equipment, electrical goods, transport, office machinery, interior and retail goods and non-metallic mineral manufacturing, the minister added.
On her view of the oil market
at the moment in terms of supply and demand balance and whether the OPEC/non-OPEC deal is working, the minister
said, “I’m very optimistic about the energy landscape. I think it is good news to have oil up to between $60-63 now, and I think supplies are being managed in
an effective way. Also, the oil
output cut deal could be exten-ded next year. I view it as very positive compliance on the part
of producers in comparison with past experience.”
Speaking on how British companies are managing with the
remarkably high competition among global oil players in the
region against a backdrop of geopolitical tension, the minister said, “British companies have been working in the region since 1930s. Companies need to compete as competition needs more creativity, which is urgently needed under the current circumstances. Competition means more renovation and lower costs. I talked during ADIPEC about what people call the “Energy Dilemma”.