Sharif Al Olama, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure for Energy and Petroleum Affairs, highlighted the deep-rooted ties between the UAE and Germany, lauding their overall relations.

He made this statement while heading an Emirati delegation visiting Germany, in the presence of Abdullah Al Hameli, Head of Political Affairs Section at the UAE Embassy in Germany.

The visit aims to promote the efforts to draft policies to govern energy resources management, in areas that promote renewable and clean energy, achieve capacity building and youth empowerment in technologies related to clean energy, and encourage cooperation with partners.

The visit included a meeting with Dr. Patrick Graichen, State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, where promoting further coordination and establishing new frameworks for cooperation in hydrogen was discussed.

"The Emirati-German partnership has helped achieve the objectives of the clean energy transition and supported the efforts of both sides to draft projects and initiatives in line with the Paris Climate Agreement," Al Olama said.

Under this framework, Al Olama and the Emirati delegation visited the company, 50Hertz Transmission GmbH, which manages the electricity transmission network in northern and eastern Germany, and is responsible for securing electricity supplies for about 18 million people.

He was received by Stefan Kapferer, CEO of the Company, who briefed him on the company’s work and ways of integrating renewable energy systems into the energy network.

As part of the visit, the UAE Embassy in Germany hosted the meeting of the UAE-German Energy Partnership to complete a declaration of intent for joint cooperation in energy, which was signed at the start of 2017.

The meeting was attended by Al Olama, the UAE delegation, Christine Falken-Grosser, Head of Bilateral Energy Cooperation within the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of Germany, and Ellen von Zitzewitz, Director of Bilateral Energy Cooperation, Germany.

The stakeholders explored future strategies to support the hydrogen sector and related developments in both countries.

The UAE delegation also met several members of the German Parliament, headed by Lisa Badum, a member of the Climate Action and Energy Committee and a member of the German Green Party.

The UAE and Germany launched the UAE-German Energy Partnership in 2017 to promote dialogue and create a framework for cooperation in the energy transition.