Bahrain's Electricity Minister attends Sustainability Week in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi, Jan. 14 (BNA): Electricity and Water Affairs Minister Dr. Abdulhussain Mirza, and Transportation and Telecommunications Minister Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed attended the opening ceremony of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week and the Shaikh Zayed Sustainability Award in Abu Dhabi. Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) Chief Executive Officer Shaikh Nawaf bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa and Supreme Council for Environment Chief Executive Officer Dr. Mohammed Mubarak bin Dinah were also present. The event was opened in the presence of the UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The presidents of Mauritania, Colombia, Armenia, Angola, Seychelles and Mali, along with a large number of energy ministers, decision-makers and energy officials from all over the world also attended the opening ceremony of the week, being held under the theme, Convergence of sectors: accelerating the pace of sustainable development. The Shaikh Zayed Award for Sustainability was presented and innovators, institutions and schools were honored. Dr. Mirza and the accompanying delegation were honoured by Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid and Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed. The minister conveyed to them the greetings of Bahrain’s leaders and said Bahrain is always keen to participate in such important events at the local and international levels. Dr. Mirza said Bahrain’s participation comes from the interest of the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the Government in participating in this annual event and the important role played by the Sustainability Week in promoting sustainable development efforts around the world. More than 40,000 participants from 175 countries from around the world, including more than 300 speakers and 180 ministers, were given an opportunity to learn about experiences in the fields of electricity, water and renewable energy. This is the largest gathering of sustainability in the Middle East aimed at promoting the trends of sustainable development. Dr. Mirza highlighted the importance of the forum and the allocation of the Zayed Sustainability Award to schools and institutions that create innovative solutions in the field of energy sustainability and the dissemination of renewable energy. He said the forum brings together decision makers who make efforts for the exchange of ideas and experiences that make them contribute to the dissemination of the message of sustainability. The forum discusses the biggest challenges in energy sustainability and reviews the latest developments in the renewable energy sectors and the latest strategies of countries to embrace renewable energy sources instead of fossil energy. The minister also pointed out that the discussions in this forum also included the financing methods available for renewable energy options, which in turn led to a decrease in the value of the unit of electricity produced from these renewable sources to a level that competes seriously with the unit value of the thermal stations. This in turn would lead to a turning point in the energy mix in various countries of the world. The minister pointed out that these outputs would Bahrain, especially in the government's efforts to sustain energy, follow up the work of the Sustainable Energy Unit and its successive steps to enact the required legislation to expand renewable energy options. On the sidelines of these events, the minister and the accompanying delegation visited the accompanying exhibition, the largest exhibition of solar panels and renewable energy technologies and the experiences of countries in diversifying energy sources.