Abu Dhabi Future Energy (Masdar) has put on show its initiative to build the world’s first Green City dubbed "Masdar City" at a total cost of US$22 billion. The initiative was unveiled to senior officials from member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Italy and members of the media fraternity who participated in the renewable energy forum held here yesterday.
The forum was part of a GCC Week being held here in the Italian capital and is scheduled to last until October 22.
Senior Italian officials, including members of the government, parliament, heads of industrial associations, experts, members of the media and members of the GCC delegations attending the GCC Week, attended a presentation made during the forum by an environmental affairs expert, Dr. Shahrazad Rouhi, on a theme: "Abu Dhabi Government Initiative to Build Masdar City". The city, which is currently under construction near the Abu Dhabi Airport, is expected to save the government about US2 billion worth of oil in 25 years and create about 70,000 jobs.
Italian officials who attended the forum praised the initiative, which has placed the UAE on the world’s clean energy map, saying that Abu Dhabi had paved a way for itself to become a great attraction for clean and renewable energy.
Dr. Shahrazad said the UAE succeeded in hosting the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) which is to be built at the Masdar City based on the consensus of the world which has great respect for the UAE’s policy of developing renewable energy sources. She said Masdar had succeeded in attracting about US$15 billion investment and had also succeeded, within the two years of its existence, in attracting world class clean energy companies and experts to ensure its smooth but rapid take-off towards achieving its ambitious objectives of making Abu Dhabi emirate an international hub for future energy, including solar and hydrogen energy.
