ABU DHABI // Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, the President of the UAE, met officials from the team behind the capital's successful bid to host the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) yesterday, and promised to spare no effort in making the agency's mission a success. The President pledged to support the future strategy, mission and plans of Irena, which will be based in Masdar City. "The UAE is striving to develop and boost its rich resources and expertise in the international energy markets and enhance its leading role as a world centre for renewable energy research and development,'' the President said, according to the state news agency, WAM.
"We are lending proper care to development of the renewable energy sector, which is experiencing accelerating growth," he said, adding that "many international initiatives call for pumping more investment in renewable energy technologies in order to make them available in world markets. "We are determined to forge ahead to implement a comprehensive energy policy, seeking to shift from the phase of consuming to producing technology through adoption of renewable energy solutions and benefiting from experiences Irena can provide in this respect."
Members of the Irena team said they were pleased to have met the President and offered him their best wishes for Ramadan. They said Abu Dhabi would not have won the race to host Irena's headquarters without his unequivocal support, care and directives. They added that they were looking forward to establishing Abu Dhabi as a capital of renewable energy in the years to come. newsdesk@thenational.ae
