UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Urges GCC States to Play Key Role in Renewable Energy

Doha, February 21 (QNA) - UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Anwar Mohammed Gargash called on GCC countries to be a key player in renewable energy issues. States producing the hydrocarbon energy should play a role in the development of renewable energy sources, he said. In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) on the sidelines of 2012 Brookings Doha Energy Forum which started yesterday, Dr. Gargash said that the development of renewable energy is an important issue for hydrocarbon-producing countries, including the UAE, stressing that contribution to develop this field will put them on the world map. In this context, he said the UAE is working to develop renewable energy sources through Abu Dhabi based renewable energy company "Masdar" which aims to invest in the renewable energy and clean technology, pointing out that UAE's policy in the field of energy based on the diversity of energy sources to meet the growing needs that depend mainly on the state's estimates on the increased electricity demand during the coming period. He also added that this diversity comes from multiple sources of energy as the UAE is relying on traditional energy sources to secure part of its energy needs, especially the oil. In response to a question about establishing a pipeline to transport UAE's oil across Al Fujairah without passing through the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf, Dr. Anwar Gargash said it is no secret that all energy-producing countries in the Arabian Gulf live in a very difficult area and we must assure the security of the waterways. The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the UAE explained that his country is building a pipeline to export UAE's oil to the outside of the Arabian Gulf to the Sea of ??Oman. The length of UAE's oil pipeline is 360 kilometers and has the capacity to transport 1.4 million barrels per day. (QNA)