After the Sunday inauguration of the UAE's first 100-megawatt Shams 1 solar plant at Madinat Zayed in Abu Dhabi, the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said that Shams 1 was a noteworthy landmark in the country's economic diversification; and was an advance in the direction of long-term energy security.

Built with a total cost of $600 million, the Shams 1 plant is the world's largest Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plant, which will boast the capability of providing electricity to 20,000 homes. The 100MW of energy which the plant produces is added to the national energy grid.

The Shams 1 plant is a clean source of energy which can annually reduce 175,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide - a move equivalent of removing 30,000 cars off the road - and can help save 200 million gallons of water a year, thanks largely to the use of latest technology in the form of an air-cooled condenser.

Noting that the inauguration of the Shams 1 plant demonstrates the UAE's commitment to maintaining its position as the leading provider of energy, the President termed the plant as Abu Dhabi's "strategic investment" in its "economic, social and environmental prosperity," and said that it expanded the country's leadership into renewable sources of power.

The President also said: "The domestic production of renewable energy extends the life of our country's valuable hydrocarbon resources and supports the growth of a promising new industry."