UK Government cooperates with Masdar to accelerate development of renewable energy technologies

They will leverage each other's expertise, and influence to help accelerate adoption of technologies to make renewable energy scalable and affordable to the global community.

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown's official visit to Abu Dhabi marks a major step in strengthening its partnership with the Abu Dhabi Government's ambitious Masdar initiative; an emerging global leader in future energy and sustainable technology. The Prime Minister was briefed by Masdar CEO, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, and was introduced to members of its executive team who highlighted Masdar's multi-faceted initiatives. The cooperation agreement was signed by Ed Miliband, the UK's Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and Dr. Sultan Al Jaber at Emirates Palace.

Gordon Brown said, "I applaud the vision and leadership which Masdar has shown in investing in the development and deployment of low carbon energy technologies. The United Kingdom looks forward to collaborating with Masdar through this agreement, bringing together the best of British and Abu Dhabi expertise for the benefit not only of our two peoples but for the world as a whole."

Ed Miliband said, "As every country tackles the twin challenge of energy security and climate change, both oil producing and oil consuming nations need to diversify our energy economies. Low carbon sources - from wind and solar through wave and tidal to carbon capture and storage - can provide a new engine of global economic growth. So this partnership represents a significant contribution to our sustainable prosperity."

Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of Masdar, said:

"Securing a sustainable energy future is a challenge that requires the collaboration of governments, NGOs and corporations from around the world. This collaboration with the UK Government is very much in line with our leadership's vision of cooperating with other governments and organizations from around the world."

"The United Kingdom is home to a wealth of expertise in renewables and today's cooperation agreement heralds a new era of cooperation with the UK Government in renewable energy and sustainable technology investment and knowledge transfer that will benefit both our economies and drive the future growth of the renewable energy sector globally," he added.

This paves the way for Masdar and the UK Government to explore opportunities in renewable energy projects development. This partnership will focus on the development, commercialization and scalable deployment of a range of renewable energy solutions including on-shore, and off-shore wind power generation, carbon capture and storage, as well as new and innovative forms of solar, and energy efficiency. It will also cover areas including investments into new technologies, sustainable urban development and knowledge transfer.

Masdar is already partnering with the UK's renewable industry with the support of the UK Government, having recently announced its involvement in the London Array scheme, the world's largest off-shore wind project that will power 750,000 homes and contribute significantly to the UK's renewable energy targets.

Masdar is also working with a range of top-class UK companies and institutions including leading architects, Foster & Partners, the Master Planners of Masdar City, and Imperial College London, who are a key members of the Masdar Research Network, a network of universities across the world conducting advanced research in energy and sustainability technologies.

In July this year, His Royal Highness the Duke of York hosted a seminar at Buckingham Palace for Masdar which was attended by UK government officials, business leaders, and leading academics. At this event Masdar encouraged greater collaboration between the United Kingdom and Abu Dhabi to develop an affordable and sustainable energy future for the world.