KHALEEJ TIMES, Monday, Apr 12, 2021 | Shaaban 29, 1442
Al Mazrouei unveils roadmap for managing energy, housing, infrastructure and transportation sector
Emirates:
Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al Mazrouei, the UAE Minister of Energy and
Infrastructure, has revealed a comprehensive development roadmap for the
sectors supervised by the ministry, which includes the energy, housing,
transportation, and infrastructure.
Al Mazrouei said that the ministry has designed clear work directions that
guarantee the country's global leadership – espically in the four sectors – over
the next 50 years.
In an interview with the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Al Mazrouei affirmed that
the ministry has ambitious plans for citizens' housing in line with the
directives of the UAE’s leadership to provide citizens with decent living
conditions and ensure their prosperity and happiness.
The UAE minister also announced the completion of a study to explore the need
for housing across the country, based on the availability of lands and supply of
housing until 2040, with the aim of determining the demand and supply in each
emirate.
He emphasised that the ministry is monitoring to assess the financing
requirements for housing projects in accordance with the UAE vision.
Al Mazrouei explained that the ministry’s objectives in the energy sector
include strengthening cooperation with relevant entities for the sustainability
of the energy sector and petrochemical industries.
This will be achieved by introducing energy efficient systems in industrial and
mining facilities, enacting laws and legislation that encourage everyone to
produce clean energy, and empowering and developing national cadres working in
the sector through cooperation with specialised institutes and centres for
geological research and development, he noted.
Al Mazrouei reaffirmed that the ministry’s plans include strengthening the
country’s orientation towards renewable energy or clean alternative energy,
"like the nuclear energy, which uses safe, environmentally friendly and reliable
technology, has become an ideal choice for the country."
As for the infrastructure sector, he said that the ministry designed the
four-pronged infrastructure plan for the next 50 years. The first includes
studying the current infrastructure situation, while the second focuses on risks
and future trends, the third deals with policies and enablers, and the fourth
aims at integration and partnership.
The official highlighted that the ministry is working to promote digital
identity in infrastructure, demographic changes and urbanisation, development,
investment and the economy, as well as interactive smart cities, and resilient
infrastructure.
He explained that the ministry aims to design safe, integrated and sustainable
transport networks that use advanced technology, contribute to ensuring social
and economic development, facilitate commercial movement, and achieve
sustainable development goals, happiness and quality of life for all.
"One of our legislative and regulatory priorities with regard to the transport
sector at the moment is to complete the legislative and regulatory framework for
the emerging federal railway system in the country, which is about to enter a
new phase. It will have remarkable positive impacts on the various logistical
aspects of transporting goods at the national and regional levels," he noted.
The minister continued, "By completion here, we mean laying down the executive
regulations for Federal Law No. (8) of 2020 regarding the organisation of
railways in order to ensure its implementation and the achievement of its
objectives in an optimal manner."
Al Mazrouei affirmed that the year 2021 marks the golden jubilee of the UAE,
"which brings us closer to the UAE Centennial 2071, and the dream of global
leadership across various domains. This requires all of us to work with a
forward-looking vision capable of anticipating challenges and transforming them
into opportunities that support the vision of the UAE government."
He concluded by saying that the developmental projects led by the Ministry of
Energy and Infrastructure are taking firm steps towards strengthening the
position of the UAE as a global centre for leadership and sustainable
development.
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