* To generate 1.6 GW by 2030: minister
Qatar is taking every effort to reduce gas emission and increase the use of renewable energy, said HE Sheikh Faleh bin Nasser bin Ahmed bin Ali al-Thani, Minister of Environment and Climate Change at a panel discussion on day one of the Doha Forum Saturday.
The minister noted that Qatar will start producing solar power from this year. “We will produce 800MW this year. This is the first plant in Qatar working on photovoltaic technology. This is the first phase of the project and we are going to produce 1.6 gigawatts (GW) by 2030,” disclosed Sheikh Faleh.
“We have taken every efforts to minimise the gas emissions. Al Shaheen Gas field is considered as one of the biggest gas fields in the world. We have managed to reduce 80% of gas emission in the field which is recorded by the World Bank,” said Sheikh Faleh .
“We have the largest carbon capture storage in the Mena region. The capacity of the storage is about 2mn tonnes of carbon dioxide. We are aiming to expand it to 9mn by 2030. We have done several initiatives to enhance the air quality and reduce the impact of dust storms. We have also planted one million trees in the country and we are committed to increase this number to 10 million by 2030,” explained, the minister.
The minister noted that Qatar is taking effective steps to meet the challenges of water which is a main challenge in this part of the world. He also pointed to enhancing the biodiversity of the country and the programme for waste management.
“We have our own programme for waste management. We aim to achieve zero waste in ten years as well as zero landfill. We are also thinking of maximising the use of the land and increase productivity in the country,” he added.
Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, global leader of Climate & Energy at WWF; former minister of environment of Peru; former president of COP20; Vincent Keaveny, Lord Mayor of London; Jane Madgwick, president and CEO, Wetlands International and Dr Gonzalo Castro de la Mata, executive director, Earthna Centre for a Sustainable Future were the other members of the panel.
The minister noted that Qatar will start producing solar power from this year. “We will produce 800MW this year. This is the first plant in Qatar working on photovoltaic technology. This is the first phase of the project and we are going to produce 1.6 gigawatts (GW) by 2030,” disclosed Sheikh Faleh.
“We have taken every efforts to minimise the gas emissions. Al Shaheen Gas field is considered as one of the biggest gas fields in the world. We have managed to reduce 80% of gas emission in the field which is recorded by the World Bank,” said Sheikh Faleh .
“We have the largest carbon capture storage in the Mena region. The capacity of the storage is about 2mn tonnes of carbon dioxide. We are aiming to expand it to 9mn by 2030. We have done several initiatives to enhance the air quality and reduce the impact of dust storms. We have also planted one million trees in the country and we are committed to increase this number to 10 million by 2030,” explained, the minister.
The minister noted that Qatar is taking effective steps to meet the challenges of water which is a main challenge in this part of the world. He also pointed to enhancing the biodiversity of the country and the programme for waste management.
“We have our own programme for waste management. We aim to achieve zero waste in ten years as well as zero landfill. We are also thinking of maximising the use of the land and increase productivity in the country,” he added.
Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, global leader of Climate & Energy at WWF; former minister of environment of Peru; former president of COP20; Vincent Keaveny, Lord Mayor of London; Jane Madgwick, president and CEO, Wetlands International and Dr Gonzalo Castro de la Mata, executive director, Earthna Centre for a Sustainable Future were the other members of the panel.
