RIYADH: The United Arab Emirates has expanded its renewable energy capacity by more than 63 times over the past decade, reflecting a rapid push to develop cleaner power sources, strengthen the electricity grid and meet growing energy demand.
Renewable energy capacity increased from 129 megawatts in 2015 to more than 8.2 gigawatts in 2025, according to Sharif Al Olama, undersecretary for energy and petroleum affairs at the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. His remarks were reported by the state-run Emirates News Agency, WAM.
Clean energy accounted for 32.4 percent of the UAE’s electricity generation in 2025. The country is targeting a 35 percent clean-energy share by 2031.
The UAE generated 192,735 gigawatt-hours of electricity last year, while national consumption stood at 174,524 GWh, WAM reported.
The latest figures highlight the scale of the UAE’s energy transition as the country works to accommodate rising electricity demand while reducing emissions and maintaining reliable energy supplies.
Under its updated Energy Strategy 2050, the UAE plans to more than triple the contribution of renewable energy by 2030. The strategy also calls for investments of between 150 billion dirhams ($40.8 billion) and 200 billion dirhams to support rising energy demand and continued economic expansion.
Al Olama said the UAE had made significant advances across the energy sector, including expanding clean-energy generation, strengthening the national electricity network, improving grid interconnections and introducing modern technologies and data-driven systems to improve grid management and preparedness.
The government is also targeting a grid emissions factor of 0.27 kilograms of carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour by 2030. The target forms part of the UAE’s efforts to maintain one of the world’s lower grid emissions factors relative to the global average.
Installed clean-energy capacity, including nuclear, photovoltaic and concentrated solar power, wind and waste-to-energy projects, reached 13,805 MW in 2025, according to WAM.
Strengthening the Electricity Grid
The UAE’s progress in renewable energy has been supported by a broader national strategy focused on building a secure and sustainable electricity system capable of meeting future demand.
Al Olama attributed the sector’s development to cooperation between federal and local authorities, national companies and private-sector stakeholders.
Among the initiatives highlighted was the Emirates Monitoring Centre, described as the UAE’s first national facility dedicated to real-time monitoring of the country’s integrated power network. The centre connects the nation’s four electricity utilities, allowing authorities to improve coordination and visibility across the system.
During the second phase of the initiative, the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure also developed and implemented a study for a renewable energy management program in partnership with Siemens.
The program is designed to support more effective monitoring of renewable power and improve coordination between the various entities involved in managing the UAE’s national electricity system.
The combination of expanding renewable generation and modernizing grid infrastructure is expected to remain central to the UAE’s long-term energy strategy as the country balances economic growth, electricity demand, emissions reduction and energy security.
