The 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This is the second year in a row that the United Nations Climate Change Conference has been held in a Middle Eastern country, following Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt.
Shortly before COP28, the world's largest single photovoltaic power station contracted by Chinese enterprises, the Aldafra photovoltaic power station in the United Arab Emirates, was fully completed. Rows of PV modules in Abu Dhabi's vast desert form a spectacular "energy oasis". The PV plant will provide electricity for 200,000 households, reduce carbon emissions by 2.4 million tonnes per year, and increase the share of clean energy in the UAE's total energy mix to more than 13%.
The Middle East is rich in oil and gas resources, and China and Middle Eastern countries have maintained close cooperation in the energy field for a long time. In recent years, as the global climate crisis has become increasingly severe, China and Middle Eastern countries have accelerated their respective energy transitions, and vigorously promoted bilateral and multilateral cooperation in clean energy and renewable energy.
In December 2022, at the first China-Arab States Summit, China proposed eight common actions for China-Arab practical cooperation, including joint actions on green innovation and energy security. China has proposed concrete measures such as the establishment of the China-Arab International Research Center on Drought, Desertification and Land Degradation and the joint establishment of the China-Arab Clean Energy Cooperation Center, demonstrating its determination to continue to deepen cooperation on climate change.
China has the world's largest clean power generation system, with the world's largest installed capacity of hydropower, wind power and solar power. With its technological advantages in the field of clean energy, China and Middle Eastern countries have actively cooperated in clean coal, solar energy and other fields, and Chinese enterprises have been deeply involved in large-scale clean energy projects in the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and other countries to help the local energy transition.
The Dubai Hasyan Clean Coal-fired Power Station Project in Dubai, UAE, undertaken by Harbin Electric Group, is the first clean coal-fired power station project in the Middle East and the first power station in the world to achieve dual-fuel full-load power supply. In May this year, Unit 4 of the project was connected to the grid for the first time.
In addition, the third phase of the Morocco Nuao solar concentrator power generation independent power station built by Chinese enterprises is the world's largest tower solar thermal power station in operation, Oman's largest renewable energy project - Oman's Ibri photovoltaic project was completed last year, and the world's largest energy storage project in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea New City is also under construction.
Ahmed Mohamed Masina, Deputy Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy of Egypt, said that China and Egypt have maintained good cooperation in the field of renewable energy such as wind and solar energy, and looked forward to further deepening cooperation in various fields to jointly address climate change.
In addition to cooperation in the field of energy, China also provides assistance to Middle Eastern countries in the development of seawater desalination, green finance, green agriculture and other fields to jointly address the challenges brought about by climate change.
In November 2022, Unit 2 of the Tawil Seawater Desalination Project in Abu Dhabi, UAE, undertaken by Shandong Electric Power Construction Co., Ltd., was successfully connected to the grid. The project is the world's largest reverse osmosis desalination project under construction.
Martin Tricot, Chairman of Investment Banking of First Bank Abu Dhabi, said that China's "dual carbon" goal is highly consistent with the UAE's goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, and First Bank Abu Dhabi issued the first RMB green bond in the Middle East and North Africa region, and the cooperation space and potential between the two sides are huge.