Dr. Fatima Al-Foora Al Shamsi is the Assistant Undersecretary for Electricity in the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Energy. She has a wealth of experience in different managerial roles ranging from electrical engineering, renewables, business development and project management.
Dr. Fatima has worked as the Vice President of the Privatization and Business Development in Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and as an Executive Director for Electricity in the Federal Electricity & Water Authority (FEWA).
Before joining the Ministry, Dr. Fatima was leading the Mohammed Bin Rashid Solar Park Project, IP(W)P program in Dubai, DEWA private investment portfolio development, DEWA corporate strategy team and R&Ds related to business development. She is now leading the electricity, clean energy, climate change and water desalination related activities in the Ministry of Energy.
1. The UAE has been connected to neighboring countries through the GCC interconnection. How do you see the power connections in the region going forward?
The GCC interconnection project was segregated into three phases: the first phase connected Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar grids; the second phase was the internal integration of the UAE and Oman power systems; and the third phase - which was commissioned in 2011- connected the phase one with phase two. Since then, the GCC interconnection grid is playing an important role in securing the continuity of the electricity supply in the region.
Now, in addition to the ongoing studies conducted by the Arab league for the pan-Arab power market, several neighboring countries have requested to be interconnected with the GCC region. This will require the GCCIA to work with its Member States to develop a road map for expansion of interconnections beyond the current GCC Interconnection.
2. The upcoming Baraka nuclear energy plant represents another element of UAE’s policy of diversifying energy sources. Can you share UAE’s experience on venturing into nuclear power?
The UAE vision for economic development is to achieve sustainable and diversified economy fuelled by an equally sustainable mix of energy sources and energy efficiency programs, and the target for clean energy is 24% by 2021.
Nuclear energy emerged as a promising option for the UAE clean energy plan. With four nuclear energy plants by 2020, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) plant in Baraka will deliver 5,600 MW of low carbon electricity to the national grid. This will lead to a reduction of about 12 million tonnes of carbon emissions each year.
The UAE’s position on nuclear energy has received the full support and confidence of the international community, Government officials, non-proliferation advocates, and energy experts worldwide have described the UAE approach as a model for countries interested in exploring nuclear energy for the first time. The UAE government has worked closely with the International Atomic Energy Agency, as well as the governments of responsible nations to adopt and implement best practices and guidelines for the development of a civil nuclear program. The UAE government has also created the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR), an independent federal agency charged with regulation and licensing of all nuclear energy activities in the UAE with public safety as its primary objective.
To be a role model for nuclear energy development, ENEC developed an extensive network of organizations whose members include the International Advisory Board (IAB), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO), Institute of Nuclear Power Operators (INPO) and the UAE regulator the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR).
As of today, two nuclear plant units are more than 45% complete and are on track in terms of timeline, budgets and safety compliance. Unit 1 is scheduled to enter commercial operations in 2017, and Unit 2 is scheduled for operations in 2018, pending regulatory approvals. ENEC has recently been granted approval for additional civil works relating to Barakah Units 3 & 4 under its Limited Construction License. This approval will help to ensure that the units remain on schedule to enter commercial operations in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
3. The UAE is focused on energy efficiency and conservation. In addition, there is a strong emphasis on the deployment of renewables as part of the UAE’s energy mix. What key initiatives do you currently have in place and are there any lessons learned you could share?
The UAE is making notable investments and policy interventions in energy efficiency. We established the first mandatory green building codes in the Middle East, which are cutting water and energy consumption by over 33%. The UAE has also enacted mandatory appliance efficiency standards, as well as the first smart metering program. This year, the region’s first regulatory standards for energy service companies has been introduced in the Emirate of Dubai.
The UAE has been a vocal advocate for clean energy technology. We set the first renewable energy targets in the region and have steadily increased our investment portfolio as renewable costs continue to plummet. In 2013, we inaugurated the 100 MW Shams 1, and the first CSP and largest renewable energy project in the region, as well a 13 MW PV plant as the first project of the Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park that will have a total capacity of 1000 MW. In the same year, the second project in the solar park were announced with 100 MW capacity and recently, the tender for the shortlisted developers was issued and bids are expected to be submitted in the fourth quarter of this year.
Beyond domestic activities, the UAE is also a major investor in renewable energy projects and companies in a number of countries, including the United Kingdom, Spain and the United States. It is also a major donor, committing over $450 million of concessional finance for renewables and delivering projects in Afghanistan, Mauritania, Seychelles, and Tonga in 2013 alone.
We are also investing heavily in carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies, which will allow even deeper carbon cuts in the future. ADNOC and Masdar are today developing the region’s first commercial-scale CCS project, which is set to re-inject 800,000 tons of carbon annually.
4. Signed in October 2013, the MOU between Singapore and UAE covers areas in energy that benefit both countries. Could you share more about opportunities for cooperation between the two countries?
The main purpose of the MoU is to exchange and share knowledge and experience in the field of energy, including energy efficiency and conservation which are hot topics – especially in fast growing economies.
UAE and Singapore can cooperate to achieve higher levels of success in the energy sector, which can be transferred to countries in the region that share the same economic and geopolitical circumstances.
Discussing the current and future status quo of legislation and regulation for the energy and water sectors benefits both countries in understanding risks and opportunities. This is in addition to looking into the industry best practices in energy conservation and efficiency in generation, transmission, distribution, and demand side management.
The UAE Ministry of Energy is particularly keen on the formulation of Singapore's "Energy Conservation Act" in 2012, which is expected to increase energy efficiency in buildings, leading to a greener future and saving a lot of resources.
5. Energy market are becoming increasingly interconnected. What are some of opportunities for greater synergies between the Middle East and Asia in terms of energy?
Interconnectors open the door for more efficient power exchanges and trade. The GCC Interconnector has enabled the GCC power market to start evolving, and by achieving more interconnections with neighbouring regions, wider opportunities may be achieved.
With the abundance of oil and gas resources in the GCC regions, and the large capacity of power generation resources, especially during winter season, there seems to be an opportunity for the GCC to export power to other regions, such as Asia, during local low demand periods (winter), with the possibility of importing power during summer periods from those regions.