UAE marks 44th National Day; Reports on Progress

The new 62-kilometre Abu Dhabi- Dubai Highway: Launched in 2013, the Abu Dhabi- Dubai Highway project was awarded to three companies. The project aims to alleviate traffic congestion on the current main road connecting Abu Dhabi to Dubai, and is expected to be completed by 2017.

Expansion of Dubai Metro: The Road and Transport Authority (RTA) launched plans to develop and design the expansion of the Dubai Metro to include 70 stations by 2020, at a total cost of AED5 billion. The expansion of the Green Line will include 11 new stations stretching over 20 kilometres across Dubai. The Red Line expansion plans include the addition 3.5 kilometers between the Rashidiya Station to Mirdif City Centre Station as well as an 8 – 10 kilometre expansion from the Jebel Ali Station to the Dubai Expo 2020 venue.

Hisyan Dubai project: The Hisyan Dubai power plant project using coal technologies is the first of its kind in the region. Dubai Electricity and Water Authority awarded the contract for the first phase of the project to a global consulting firm in February 2015. The first phase of the project will have a production capacity of 1200 MW and is expected to be operational by 2020.

Dubai Canal project: The Emirate of Dubai launched the third phase of the Dubai Canal project, which was started in 2013, and has been adopted by the RTA. A contract worth AED802 million for the third phase of the project was awarded to Belhasa Six Construct Co. The project comprises the construction of a water canal linking Dubai Creek with the Arabian Gulf. The canal will extend from Sheikh Zayed Road and pass across Al Safa Park and Jumeirah 2 to end at Jumeirah Beach Park. The completion of this stage has been set for September 2016, to coincide with the completion of the first two phases, (the first phase began in September 2013 while the second phase was rolled out in May 2014). The total cost of the three phases of the water canal project amounts to AED1.7 billion.

Vital steps in space programmes and projects: There is no doubt that investment in space programmes and projects will enhance the status of the UAE and increase the nation’s stature in the regional and international landscape. It represents a fundamental shift in the process of scientific research in the UAE. The projects implemented by the country in this vital area will significantly contribute to the economy, creating new jobs for nationals of high potential. The UAE’s advances in space programmes have proved the country’s global presence, particularly with the plan to send an unmanned space probe to Mars, a huge step for the UAE.

Emirates Mars Mission Probe: The Mars probe project will allow the UAE to join highly developed countries that are racing to explore the Red Planet by 2021. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, stated that the project’s objective is to promote knowledge and raise the UAE’s national capacity in the aviation sector, scientific discovery and space with a focus on building and developing the scientific capacity of the country.

DubaiSat 1: The launch of the satellite DubaiSat 1 was a focal point for the UAE as it is the first satellite that has remote sensing and is owned entirely by a local entity. The satellite was launched three years ago with cooperation between the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) and Satrec Initiative, a satellite manufacturing company in South Korea. The satellite aims to launch the scientific knowledge transfer programme.

DubaiSat-1 was launched on July 29, 2009 into a 680 km altitude sun-synchronous polar orbit from the Baikonur launch site in Kazakhstan, along with several other satellites on board the Dnepr launch vehicle.

DubaiSat-1 images have been used to monitor progress on the Dubai World Megaproject, Palm Islands, and Al Maktoum International Airport. The United Nations also used DubaiSat-1 images to monitor relief efforts following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

DubaiSat 2: Work on DubaiSat 2 began immediately after the launch of DubaiSat 1. It is a source of pride for the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) that the centre managed to design, build and launch a second satellite just four years after the first launch. Dubai also offers DubaiSat 2 visual images for electronic, scientific and commercial purposes to local and international customers.

The satellite has the ability to store images of an area up to 17,000 square kilometres used in the study of environmental changes, water, ice, life and human communities and remote sensing data. It also provides images of the projects and natural areas that can be used for publication in the media and online websites.

Khalifasat: Khalifasat, the third advanced satellite launched by the UAE into space, will provide high quality images that fulfill the needs of government organisations and private enterprises. While the initial manufacturing process began in South Korea, the satellite will be completely developed by Emirati workforce. Final preparations for completing manufacturing facilities are currently underway; 100% dust-free laboratories are now ready to host additional manufacturing processes. Designed following the highest international standards of engineering precision and colour reproduction, Khalifasat will compete with the most advanced satellites in the world by providing high quality images with 0.7 metre clarity and 4 metre clarity for multispectral images.

Fruitful efforts in renewable energy: The UAE is determined to continue its path toward progress in all fields, especially energy, in order to maintain its leading position today and tomorrow, securing a bright future for generations to come and maintaining its role as an essential player in the global energy economy.

In addition to its leadership in global oil and gas markets, the UAE has established strong foundations in the field of clean energy, and the central role that this plays in its strategy of diversifying and securing energy sources.

The UAE has been a regional leader in clean energy projects, including plans to build four nuclear reactors for peaceful energy, building and operating the Shams 1 CSP solar plant, and several strategic projects in Oman and Jordan.

On a global level, the UAE is also a major investor in renewable energy. Through Masdar, the multi-faceted renewable energy initiative in Abu Dhabi, investments have been made in developing the Gemasolar CSP plant in Spain, the London Array, the largest offshore wind farm in the world with a capacity of 630MW, the Sheikh Zayed Solar Power Plant in Mauritania, with 15MW capacity, Port Victoria Wind Farm in Seychelles with 6MW capacity, and many other projects around the world. These efforts, among others, helped in the choosing of Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City as the home for the permanent headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency, IRENA.

Leaps in technology: The wise leadership of the UAE is committed to keeping up-to-date with new international systems and innovations, using these new technologies to fulfil the aspirations of the nation’s sons and daughters. Priority is given to the need to encourage young UAE nationals to innovate and create in technological fields. Promoting such a culture of innovation will help to ensure that they lead the future development of our economy and society in the pursuit of sustainable development.