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UK to help bring Abu Dhabi's bold 'green city' vision to life

UK TRADE AND INVESTMENT News Release (PN 73/2008) issued by COI News Distribution Service. 17 November 2008

Abu Dhabi is turning to the UK to bring its extraordinary plan - Masdar City, the world's first zero carbon, zero waste, car-free city - to life.

Eager to work with UK companies and academic institutions, the Masdar team will discuss the initiative's business opportunities with 108 companies at a Partnership Seminar, hosted by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI).

Masdar City is to be finished by 2016 and will eventually be home to 50,000 residents, 1,500 businesses, particularly those in the sustainable and alternative energies field. A number of UK companies are already involved including BP, Shell, Rolls Royce, WSP Group, Imperial College and Forster and Partners, who designed the concept.

During the UK Government's visit to the Gulf in early November Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Miliband and Secretary of State for Business Peter Mandelson were briefed on the initiative and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Masdar CEO Dr. Sultan Al Jaber. The MoU provides a framework to leverage each other's expertise to help accelerate the adoption of technologies to make renewable energy affordable to the global community.

Opening UKTI's Partnership Seminar, Minister for Trade and Investment Gareth Thomas said:

"With 17,000 companies making up the UK's environmental industries sector, it is not just large companies that have a part to play in the Masdar City story.

"The SMEs in our diverse environmental technologies sector also have a global reputation for world leading capabilities and outstanding solutions and services.

"For businesses, small and large, that make the leap and take early action to embrace low carbon solutions, the opportunities are huge. By 2010 it is estimated the renewable energy, waste management and water treatment industries will be worth $700 billion globally."

During the visit to the UK, the Masdar team will meet with UK companies in the following sectors:

* Energy generation: Solar, wind, geothermal, bio fuels, waste to energy, and others.
* Energy infrastructure: Transmission, management.
* Energy storage: Fuel cells, advanced batteries, hybrid systems.
* Water technologies: Water and waste water treatment, water resources.
* Waste management: Recycling, waste treatment.
* Transportation: Vehicles, logistics, structures, fuels.
* Green construction: Sustainable building materials, sustainable construction engineering, energy efficiency, sustainable design.
* Biodiversity: Agriculture, aquaculture, natural pesticides, land management, GHG reduction.
* Social & Policy: Population and public health, pollution and CSR Policy monitoring, and compliance carbon management.

Gareth Thomas added:

"The UK has some of the boldest energy and climate change policies in the world. Our greenhouse gas reduction targets of 80% on 1990 levels by 2050 will only be achieved through partnerships to help develop new energy sources and technologies.

"Collectively we must do all we can to help ensure visions, such as Masdar City, succeed."

The UK Government, under the leadership of UKTI, is developing a UK Low Carbon International Marketing Strategy. This will demonstrate the UK's expertise in low carbon solutions through case studies of international successes and help to create business partnerships overseas to tackle the challenge of climate change.

For more information on the Masdar City initiative, visit http://www.masdaruae.com.

Notes to Editors:
1. UK Trade & Investment is the UK Government's international business development organisation, supporting businesses seeking to establish in the UK and helping UK companies grow internationally. The services offered by UK Trade & Investment bring together a network of business sector specialists and support teams in British embassies and Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) posts all around the world, as well as key experts in government departments across the UK. UK Trade & Investment works with a wide range of partner organisations in the UK, including Regional Development Agencies and the Devolved Administrations, Business Links, Chambers of Commerce and trade associations. For more information, visit the web site at: http://www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk.

2. The Masdar City vision is to:
* Create a sustainable city incorporating the highest quality of life with the lowest environmental footprint;
* Create a city which is carbon neutral, uses only renewable energies and produces zero waste;
* To emerge as the global hub for cleantech education, research, development and production;
* To partner with global leaders and innovative companies in the clean tech industry;
* To diversify the Abu Dhabi economy with a focus on renewable energies.

3. For latest press releases, visit the online newsroom at http://www.newsroom.uktradeinvest.gov.uk.