The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MoEI) and the Ras Al Khaimah Petroleum Authority (RAKPA) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen their partnership within the energy sector.  The MoU was signed by His Excellency Eng Sharif Al Olama, Undersecretary for Energy and Petroleum Affairs at MoEI, and His Excellency Christopher Wood, Chief Executive of RAKPA.

The MoU serves as an enabler for collaboration on sustainable energy transformation, focusing on activities such as sharing geological, geophysical, and hydrogeological surveys and studies, conducting research on natural hydrogen, investigating carbon capture via mineralization, and evaluating geothermal energy potential in Ras Al Khaimah and the UAE.  These initiatives are part of a shared commitment to a low-carbon future, supporting the growing demand for energy while aiming to achieve common goals in the sustainable transformation of energy.

His Excellency Eng Sharif Al Olama said: “Our commitment to enhancing synergy among government entities to achieve national energy targets and drive a shift to sustainable energy is unwavering. Our partnership with RAKPA is in line with this commitment and a major step in realizing the UAE’s net zero by 2050 objective that has been underscored at the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28).”

He added: “The collaboration with RAKPA contributes to our efforts to transition to clean energy and enhance environmental sustainability through integrating innovative technologies, such as natural hydrogen and carbon sequestration. This will help us achieve our national vision of making the UAE a leader in clean and renewable energy and ensuring a sustainable future for next generations.”

His Excellency Christopher Wood said: “This MoU highlights RAKPA's commitment to driving innovative energy solutions in Ras Al Khaimah. Teaming up with the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure enables us to combine our expertise to explore cutting-edge technologies in natural hydrogen production and carbon capture and storage.”

Both entities intend to collaborate on organizing joint technical and regulatory workshops while also initiating studies on emerging energy technologies. The MoU is set to undergo periodic reviews by MoEI and RAKPA to ensure its alignment with current trends in the energy market by identifying additional areas for potential cooperation that will be mutually agreed upon.