MUNICH— Bavaria’s State Secretary for Economic Affairs Roland Weigert, after his five-day expert trip to the United Arab Emirates ( UAE) drew a positive conclusion: “The Free State of Bavaria has a strong interest in developing the stable partnership with the United Arab Emirates in the long term.
That is why we want to intensify bilateral economic relations and use synergies. Bavaria is at the forefront when it comes to the market-ready development of key technologies, for example in the areas of hydrogen, 3D printing or artificial intelligence. The Emirates, on the other hand, are a country of technological progress and thus a highly attractive market for export-oriented Bavarian companies. Together we move in many highly dynamic future fields. The Free State as well as the UAE claim to lead the way here as pioneers. ”
In addition, Weigert sees the Gulf state as a producer of renewable energies and thus as a possible supplier of hydrogen to Bavaria: “Hydrogen along the entire value chain has enormous potential for both economies. We are at the transition from the fossil to the post-carbon age. The Emirates are blessed with solar energy and aim to become a leading manufacturer and global exporter of blue and green hydrogen. Bavarian companies have precisely the right high-tech solutions in their luggage, for example for electrolysis or hydrogen transport. On the other hand, we in Bavaria will need large amounts of hydrogen, including from imports, to produce a CO2-Build neutral industry and mobility. A cooperation on the way to the hydrogen future would be a classic win-win situation. ”
In Dubai Weigert said, among other things with Mariam al-Mheiri, Minister of State for Climate Change and Environment and Special Representative of the UAE to the Federal Republic of Germany. It was agreed to develop ideas in an exchange at technical level on how technological cooperation and thus also bilateral trade can be expanded. The Emirates are very interested in Bavarian know-how and products in the fields of energy, environmental and climate protection technology, food tech and entrepreneurship.
State Secretary Weigert: “The good talks with State Minister Mariam al-Mheiri and with Emirati companies have once again revealed the unifying element between the two countries. The UAEand Bavaria see the transformation of the global economy as an opportunity for accelerated innovation, sustainable economic growth and social prosperity. That is why it is our common endeavor now to define the framework for the expansion of economic relations and to back it up with very specific projects. The Emirates and Bavaria – that has a future. ”
State Secretary Weigert traveled to the UAE from October 15 to 19, 2021 for exploratory talks with ministries and companies such as the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Mubadala Investment Company and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority . A visit to EXPO 2020 and the German pavilion “Campus Germany” in Dubai as well as a tour of the hydrogen electrolysis plant built by Siemens Energy in the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park, currently the largest connected solar project in the world, were also on the program. Weigert was accompanied by Prof. Dr. Veronika Grimm, head of the Center Hydrogen.Bavaria (H2.B), the member of the state parliament Alexander König ( CSU) and Annette Karl (SPD) as well as experts from Bayern Innovativ and from the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Annette Karl emphasized: “The United Arab Emirates are open to many future technologies and adopt them early on. This also applies to the hydrogen sector. I am convinced that a technology and energy partnership would advance both countries in terms of climate protection and economic growth. The UAE are pursuing ambitious climate goals for the region. As the first country in the Middle East and North Africa, the Gulf state has committed itself to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Until then, the share of renewable energies in the overall energy mix is to be increased from 25 percent to 75 percent. ”
Alexander König said: “The United Arab Emirates are an anchor of stability and a driver of innovation in the Gulf region. This offers our companies great market opportunities in the export of high technology and services. But not only the global players from Bavaria can benefit from this. Above all, our medium-sized companies and start-ups offer highly innovative solutions for urgent local challenges, such as in the areas of energy efficiency, 3D printing or hydrogen technology. The talks made it clear that there is great mutual political interest in bringing Bavarian and Emirati companies together. And that is exactly what we will now initiate. ”
The Emirates are part of the Gulf States, with which Bavaria traditionally has a lively trade. The volume of trade with the entire region in the first half of 2021 was over 1.3 billion euros, with the UAE taking first place with 426 million euros. After a corona-related decline last year, the cross-border movement of goods between Bavaria and the Emirates recorded a significant increase from January to June 2021. Imports to Bavaria rose by 19 percent to almost 82 million euros, while exports from the Free State rose by four percent to almost 344 million euros.
Read the most up to date Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Industry news at FuelCellsWorks
