UAE Harvest 2025/global leadership in sustainability and confronting climate challenges
Abu Dhabi, 23 December / WAM / During the year 2025, the UAE launched a wide series of qualitative initiatives and projects in the fields of environmental protection, the transition to clean energy, and innovation in green technologies, thus enhancing its global position as one of the countries most committed to confronting climate challenges and leading the shift towards solutions that support environmental sustainability.
These initiatives embody the UAE’s vision aimed at establishing a low-carbon economy, leading international efforts in the transition to clean energy, expanding the scope of environmental and biodiversity protection, and stimulating innovation in sustainability.
The UAE began the year 2025 by launching the largest and first project of its kind in the world that combines solar energy and energy storage batteries in Abu Dhabi, which will provide renewable energy around the clock and contribute to providing about (1 gigawatt per day) of the base load of renewable energy, forming the largest solar energy station equipped with battery systems for energy storage in the world.
The UAE witnessed the launch of the first marine exploration trip of its kind to draw a comprehensive geological map of the seabed in the country’s waters, using the research ship “Jeon”, which is the first specialized research ship in the country.
In the field of circular economy, Bee’ah announced the development of the first station in the Middle East to convert waste into green hydrogen with a production capacity of up to 7 tons per day by 2027, while the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology launched a national project to recycle used tires and transform them into materials used in new industries.
For its part, the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure launched the geospatial data platform for agriculture and water resources with the aim of raising the efficiency of water management, reducing groundwater consumption by 2%, and increasing the use of non-conventional water to 13% by 2027, while the “Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative” signed a memorandum of understanding with the World Bank to enhance innovation in facing the challenges of global water scarcity, in addition to launching the “Water for Agriculture Challenge” with prizes amounting to 8 million dirhams, which qualified for its second phase 21 A team of entities and individuals.
The country has recorded progress in protecting the environment and biodiversity, as the Sharjah Environment Authority announced the discovery of three new plant species, the Khor Kalba Mangrove Center joined the World Wetlands Association, and the “Khor Fakkan Mashad” project was launched as part of efforts to support fish wealth in Sharjah.
In turn, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi launched the Abu Dhabi Coral Gardens initiative on an area of 1,200 square kilometers with the installation of 40,000 artificial corals, in addition to a project to cultivate more than 4 million coral colonies by 2030. This came in conjunction with the announcement of increasing the area of natural reserves in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to reach 20% of the total area of the emirate.
In the sustainable transport sector, the UAE has continued to develop its green transport infrastructure, as the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure confirmed the installation of 500 charging stations for electric vehicles by the end of this year, while DB World launched the first fleet of electric vehicles in Jebel Ali Port to transport more than 204,000 containers annually, contributing to reducing more than 14,600 tons of emissions. Etihad Rail also announced the completion of the project to supply Al Ghuwaifat station with solar energy by the end of 2025.
The UAE continued its global expansion in solar energy projects by implementing projects in Albania, Italy and Spain with a capacity of 446 megawatts, in addition to floating projects in Indonesia, the “Al-Sadawi” project in Saudi Arabia with a capacity of 2 gigawatts, and other projects in Madagascar, Yemen, Egypt and Chad, in addition to a solar energy station in the Comoros with funding from the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development.
This year, an agreement was signed between Masdar and OMV to establish a green hydrogen production station with a capacity of 140 megawatts in Austria, which is one of the largest European initiatives in this field. In Saudi Arabia, Masdar won the development of two new solar energy plants in Najran and Jazan with a total capacity of 2 gigawatts.
In the same context, Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala) announced its investment of 300 million euros through a partnership with Actis, the leading global investor in the field of sustainable infrastructure in emerging markets, to invest in Resolve Energy, the independent and fast-growing platform in the renewable energy sector in the Central and Eastern Europe region.
The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation celebrated one full year of full operation of the Barakah plants, which now provide 25% of the country’s electricity needs and contribute to reducing 22.4 million tons of emissions annually.
The UAE has allocated $10 million to launch a program that strengthens the ability of communities in Asia and the Pacific to adapt to natural disasters and support climate infrastructure.
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