Today's opening of the Shams 1 concentrated solar power plant will mark the culmination of the largest renewable energy project in the Middle East.
Costing Dh2.2m to build, the plant in Madinat Zayed in Abu Dhabi's Western Region, will generate 100 megawatts (MW) of clean and sustainable energy - enough to power 20,000 homes, and the biggest step so far toward's Abu Dhabi's goal of getting seven per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.
The project has been huge. Shams 1 has 258,048 parabolic trough mirrors, 192 solar collector assembly loops with eight solar collector assemblies per loop, 768 solar collector assembly units and 27, 648 absorber pipes.
But more than any of that, the plant is an integral part of Abu Dhabi's 2030 Vision, with its goals of diversifying the region's energy mix and building a knowledge-based economy.
"Shams 1 fits into Masdar's goals, and Masdar fits into Abu Dhabi's broader energy story," said Bader Al Lamki, director of clean energy at Masdar, the Mubadala company that owns 60 per cent of the Shams Power Company.
"This country has been demonstrating leadership in supplying energy to the world for the past five to six decades.
"Hydrocarbons will diminish one day and it is important that we diversify the mix. Abu Dhabi has been a leader in this field, and we would like to continue in that role on the global stage."
The UAE is currently the world's third-largest oil exporter, and is heavily reliant on burning gas to produce its own energy. With an expanding population, demand for that electricity is likely to continue to rise.
When fully operational, the plant, spanning 2.5 square kilometres, will displace a CO2 equivalent to planting 1.5 million trees, or taking about 15,000 cars off the road.
And the marketplace is becoming far more open to this kind of venture, despite its higher initial costs.
"We've seen renewables achieving great parity in this region and across the world," said Mr Al Lamki. "This is a sector that is going to grow with time. Costs are decreasing and the value proposition is not just driven by cost, but also driven by the opportunity itself.
There are significant long-term economic benefits to investing in such technology. "By increasing the penetration of renewables, you can reduce the amount of exposure to imported fuels, be it liquid hydrocarbons or gas, and by doing so the business case is becoming more attractive because you avoid importing at market price."
But there is much further to go. To meet the 7 per cent target would take 15 plants like Shams 1.
And renewable is just part of the story. By 2020, about a quarter of the country's energy is expected come from nuclear power.
"In Abu Dhabi we will have an energy mix, we'll have the concentrated solar power part - Shams 1 - and we can also execute photovoltaic projects and we are studying the potential for wind projects as well," said Yousif Ali, general manager of Shams Power Company.
He explained that this plant is one of the biggest solar thermal plants in the world. "Shams 1 is part of Abu Dhabi's renewables target for 2020. This is the first commercial plant to contribute to this figure.
"CSP plants are not as simple as wind turbines or photovoltaic technology. It's a very complex project - it's not easy to build a plant like this, that's why it has taken this long."
In the future Masdar is keen to undertake new challenges, not just in the UAE, but also across the globe.
"Masdar are part of the Valle 1 and 2 projects in Spain, we are also a partner in the London Array, the biggest wind farm in the world, which will start operations soon.
"We are building a wind farm in the Seychelles, and are ready to complete a 15MW photovoltaic project in Mauritania."
"In the UAE Shams 2 and 3 are still under feasibility studies. We are analysing different technology - the market is changing but we always try to get the best for Abu Dhabi," Mr Ali added.
Mr Al Lamki said Masdar's aims are becoming reality.
"The 2030 vision is actually being implemented, and the reasons for it are starting to become more evident by virtue of our projects on the ground, and in human capital.
"Local people have taken an interest in the sector and now have become experts."
Who are the Sacklers?
The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.
Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma.
It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.
Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".
The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.
Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.
Results
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m; Winner: Mcmanaman, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
6.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Bawaasil, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Bochart, Fabrice Veron, Satish Seemar
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Mutaraffa, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
7.50pm: Longines Stakes – Conditions (TB) Dh120,00 (D) 1,900m; Winner: Rare Ninja, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.25pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Alfareeq, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
9pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 2,410m; Winner: Good Tidings, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
9.35pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Zorion, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi
Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
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Match info
Arsenal 0
Manchester City 2
Sterling (14'), Bernardo Silva (64')
Dubai World Cup draw
1. Gunnevera
2. Capezzano
3. North America
4. Audible
5. Seeking The Soul
6. Pavel
7. Gronkowski
8. Axelrod
9. New Trails
10. Yoshida
11. K T Brave
12. Thunder Snow
13. Dolkong
Manchester United v Liverpool
Premier League, kick off 7.30pm (UAE)
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Second ODI
England 322-7 (50 ovs)
India 236 (50 ovs)
England win by 86 runs
Next match: Tuesday, July 17, Headingley
