10:44 am - October 15, 2026
Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei told WAM the UAE has lifted its combined nuclear and renewables target to 35% by 2030-2031, saying new plants and private competition will deliver it.
The UAE has raised its clean energy target to 35% of generation by 2030 to 2031, Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, told the Emirates News Agency (WAM) in an interview published on 1 September. The figure covers nuclear and renewable power together.
Al Mazrouei spoke on the sidelines of Middle East Energy 2026, which opened on Tuesday at Dubai World Trade Centre and runs to 3 September. Reaching the target needs new projects, stronger competition and wider private-sector access to power generation, he said. The UAE keeps its energy strategy under review as costs fall and technology moves on.
Cheaper storage sits behind the revision. Batteries now hold power for up to 24 hours at competitive prices, against two or three hours previously, Al Mazrouei said. That lets solar supply run round the clock, putting it alongside natural gas and nuclear as a baseload source at what he described as encouraging and competitive prices. Solar also emits no carbon dioxide.
The country’s long-term strategy diversifies generation sources and keeps enough surplus capacity to serve the whole population under different conditions. Work on grids and new power plants continues, Al Mazrouei said, to cut losses, lift efficiency and secure the best possible electricity selling prices, with further reductions the aim.
The UAE opened power generation to private investors decades ago. That decision cut costs, sharpened competition and raised governance standards, Al Mazrouei said, and has left the country among the world’s leaders on electricity cost. National companies including Masdar and Etihad now win projects abroad and compete on price internationally, he added.
He said the sector’s future rests on cleaner generation, stronger electricity interconnection between countries, better transmission efficiency and lower losses.
Middle East Energy 2026 has drawn 1,500 exhibitors from 70 countries. The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure is presenting its strategies and legislative framework at the event, while participating companies concentrate on technical and technological solutions. For developers and investors weighing UAE generation projects, the revised figure gives a firmer number to build against over the next five years.
