Clinton praises its vision and Abu Dhabi’s leadership in taking on world’s energy challenges

According to an announcement by Masdar, US Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, affirmed the strong relationship between the US and the United Arab Emirates, in her speech, delivered on January 10 at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology’s campus.

Located at Masdar City, the institution is claimed to be the Middle East’s first graduate research centre dedicated to innovations in clean energy. Clinton also reportedly commended Masdar’s ambition and commitment to advancing and commercialising innovations in renewable energy and clean technology.

According to the announcement, in her address, Clinton said: “UAE is so well-positioned to compete in the 21st century because of your commitment to clean, renewable energy. We are fully committed to supporting your work and we will do everything we can through our academic institutions, like MIT, through our government, like the Department of Energy, and the State Department, and through our private sector, to bring more jobs and to bring more innovative entrepreneurial spirit here to the UAE. I want my country to know how advanced you are in pursuing clean renewable energy.”

Clinton reportedly added: “I want the world to know that the US is partnering with you because we are betting on Abu Dhabi and the UAE. We are betting that this incredible investment represented by Masdar is going to pay off. And when it pays off, it will not only mean a better life for the people of this country and this region, it will have ripple effects throughout the world.”

Following a guided tour of the facilities at Masdar City, Clinton was officially welcomed by Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, CEO and Managing Director of Masdar, the announcement stated.

On the occasion, Dr Al Jaber said: “We are privileged and honoured to welcome Secretary Clinton to Abu Dhabi and Masdar. Cooperation between our nations is built on mutual trust, respect and friendship. We look forward to further strengthening our relationship by working together to address the challenges of delivering viable, scalable clean energy to the world. Secretary Clinton’s visit to Masdar is a testament to the strength of this relationship and our leadership’s commitment to the development of renewable energy and climate change mitigation.”

According to the announcement, during the tour of Masdar City, Clinton was able to see innovations made possible by global collaboration. One such example was Clinton’s visit to Masdar’s advanced concentrated solar power (CSP) – Solar Beam Down project – a joint venture between Masdar, Cosmo-Oil of Japan and the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

Visiting the Masdar Institute campus, established in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Clinton was also shown the sustainable facilities that have been designed to improve both the living and working experience of the students and facultys through smart, energy-efficient and high- performance building design, said the announcement.

“I express my gratitude to the people of the UAE for being innovative, creative and at the same time, very practical about how you intend to achieve your goals,” Clinton said, during her visit. “We are proud to be your partner, and we are looking forward to achieving real progress for your citizens and the world at large,” she added.

According to Masdar, it believes that the visit by Clinton further enhances the ongoing cooperation between the UAE and the US.

On a tangential, but relevant note, Masdar’s announcement elaborated that the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Energy and Climate Change at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, worked closely with Masdar on initiating the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) process.

This bilateral preparation effort reportedly began on 26 April, 2010, when the DOE and Masdar signed a Memorandum of Understanding on clean energy cooperation. The UAE served as host to the first CEM Preparatory Meeting in Abu Dhabi on June 28 and 29, 2010.

Having brought together officials from the participating countries, the meeting provided an invaluable forum for productive multi-lateral dialogue on the transformative policy and programme initiatives that were publicly announced at the event in Washington. The second Clean Energy Ministerial meeting will be held on April 6 and 7, this year in the UAE.