Gulf state expands clean power rapidly as it upgrades its electricity grid and prepares for rising energy demand
The United Arab Emirates expanded its renewable power capacity by more than 63 times over the decade spanning 2015 to 2025 as part of an effort to diversify its national power supply, according to state media reporting based on statements from Sharif Al Olama, undersecretary for energy and petroleum affairs at the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. Clean energy capacity rose from 129 megawatts to over 8.2 gigawatts during that 10-year timeframe.
Clean sources produced 32.4 percent of the nation's total electricity supply in 2025, with federal targets set to push that figure to 35 percent by 2031. Total national power generation hit 192,735 gigawatt-hours last year, while total electricity consumption reached 174,524 gigawatt-hours.
Overall installed clean-energy capacity, which incorporates nuclear, solar photovoltaic, concentrated solar, wind, and waste-to-energy installations, stood at 13,805 megawatts in 2025, generating over 62.4 gigawatt-hours of clean electricity. Under the revised Energy Strategy 2050, the government intends to more than triple renewable energy's share by 2030, supported by planned investments ranging between 150 billion dirhams ($40.8 billion) and 200 billion dirhams to meet rising demand.
The country has also set a target to lower its grid emission intensity to 0.27 kilograms of carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour by 2030. To support grid stability and integration across federal, local, and private operators, the UAE launched the Emirates Monitoring Centre—a dedicated national facility linking the country's four main power utilities to track system operations in real time.
Originally reported by Muslim Network TV on Sep 2, 2026.
