The UAE is positioning itself at the forefront of an emerging movement to decarbonize heavy industrial facilities as it seeks to steal an economic march on potential rivals. “The earlier you start thinking about how you can lower your carbon emissions as an industry player, the better,” the Assistant Undersecretary for Industrial Growth at the UAE’s Ministry of Industry & Advanced Technology Abdullah Alshamsi told MEES at the recent Adipec conference in Abu Dhabi.

The potential economic advantages of producing low-carbon goods are enormous, and the UAE views it as one of the largest market opportunities in recent years as it seeks to more than double the industrial sector’s contribution to GDP from AED133bn ($36bn) to AED300bn ($82bn) by 2031 (MEES, 19 May). Industrial innovation and the deployment of clean energy are central to achieving this. (CONTINUED - 1608 WORDS)