UK TRADE AND
INVESTMENT News Release (PN 73/2008) issued by COI News Distribution
Service. 17 November 2008
Abu Dhabi is
turning to the UK to bring its extraordinary plan - Masdar City,
the world's first zero carbon, zero waste, car-free city - to life.
Eager to work with UK companies and academic institutions, the
Masdar team will discuss the initiative's business
opportunities with 108 companies at a Partnership Seminar, hosted
by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI).
Masdar City is to be finished by 2016 and will eventually be home
to 50,000 residents, 1,500 businesses, particularly those in the
sustainable and alternative energies field. A number of UK
companies are already involved including BP, Shell, Rolls Royce,
WSP Group, Imperial College and Forster and Partners, who designed
the concept.
During the UK Government's visit to the Gulf in early
November Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Secretary of State for
Energy and Climate Change Ed Miliband and Secretary of State for
Business Peter Mandelson were briefed on the initiative and signed
a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Masdar CEO Dr. Sultan Al
Jaber. The MoU provides a framework to leverage each other's
expertise to help accelerate the adoption of technologies to make
renewable energy affordable to the global community.
Opening UKTI's Partnership Seminar, Minister for Trade and
Investment Gareth Thomas said:
"With 17,000 companies making up the UK's environmental
industries sector, it is not just large companies that have a part
to play in the Masdar City story.
"The SMEs in our diverse environmental technologies sector
also have a global reputation for world leading capabilities and
outstanding solutions and services.
"For businesses, small and large, that make the leap and
take early action to embrace low carbon solutions, the
opportunities are huge. By 2010 it is estimated the renewable
energy, waste management and water treatment industries will be
worth $700 billion globally."
During the visit to the UK, the Masdar team will meet with UK
companies in the following sectors:
* Energy generation: Solar, wind, geothermal, bio fuels, waste to
energy, and others.
* Energy infrastructure: Transmission,
management.
* Energy storage: Fuel cells, advanced batteries,
hybrid systems.
* Water technologies: Water and waste water
treatment, water resources.
* Waste management: Recycling,
waste treatment.
* Transportation: Vehicles, logistics,
structures, fuels.
* Green construction: Sustainable building
materials, sustainable construction engineering, energy
efficiency, sustainable design.
* Biodiversity: Agriculture,
aquaculture, natural pesticides, land management, GHG
reduction.
* Social & Policy: Population and public
health, pollution and CSR Policy monitoring, and compliance carbon management.
Gareth Thomas added:
"The UK has some of the boldest energy and climate change
policies in the world. Our greenhouse gas reduction targets of 80%
on 1990 levels by 2050 will only be achieved through partnerships
to help develop new energy sources and technologies.
"Collectively we must do all we can to help ensure visions,
such as Masdar City, succeed."
The UK Government, under the leadership of UKTI, is developing a
UK Low Carbon International Marketing Strategy. This will
demonstrate the UK's expertise in low carbon solutions
through case studies of international successes and help to create
business partnerships overseas to tackle the challenge of climate change.
For more information on the Masdar City initiative, visit http://www.masdaruae.com.
Notes to Editors:
1. UK Trade & Investment is the UK
Government's international business development organisation,
supporting businesses seeking to establish in the UK and helping
UK companies grow internationally. The services offered by UK
Trade & Investment bring together a network of business sector
specialists and support teams in British embassies and Foreign and
Commonwealth Office (FCO) posts all around the world, as well as
key experts in government departments across the UK. UK Trade
& Investment works with a wide range of partner organisations
in the UK, including Regional Development Agencies and the
Devolved Administrations, Business Links, Chambers of Commerce and
trade associations. For more information, visit the web site at:
http://www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk.
2. The Masdar City vision is to:
* Create a sustainable city
incorporating the highest quality of life with the lowest
environmental footprint;
* Create a city which is carbon
neutral, uses only renewable energies and produces zero
waste;
* To emerge as the global hub for cleantech education,
research, development and production;
* To partner with global
leaders and innovative companies in the clean tech industry;
*
To diversify the Abu Dhabi economy with a focus on renewable energies.
3. For latest press releases, visit the online newsroom at http://www.newsroom.uktradeinvest.gov.uk.