The energy transformation is the hot topic in the Middle East and North Africa. New alliances for energy transition and energy savings in the building sector were forged between Germany, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel at the trilateral Energy Saving Forum on November 15 at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh.
Stefan Wenzel, Parliamentary State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), highlighted the building sector as one of the major challenges for achieving the global objectives of the Paris Agreement on climate change. Germany’s energy consumption is declining but additional measures are needed to meet reduction targets. As of the recently announced measures, Germany aims to increase the number of newly installed heat pumps to over 500,000 units per year by 2024.
The trilateral forum was co-organized by the Emirati-German Energy Partnership and the Israeli Ministry of Energy at the UAE Pavilion. The event also featured executives from Siemens and Abu Dhabi Energy Services (ADES) who presented innovative technology solutions for leveraging energy savings.
Germany and the UAE work together closely in the framework of the Emirati-German Energy Partnership. Emirati and German companies are actively engaged in several hydrogen projects in the UAE and are exploring options to engage in renewable energy and hydrogen projects in Germany. The collaboration was recently intensified in the area of climate protection. Germany supports the UAE’s strategic initiative to reach net-zero emission by 2050 and collaborates with the UAE in preparation of COP28 in the UAE.
