(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Ayeni Olusegun |
The Peninsula
Under the patronage of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani attended yesterday the 10th anniversary celebration of the National Program for Conservation and Energy Efficiency (Tarsheed).
The ceremony was attended by a number of Their Excellencies the Ministers, diplomats and senior officials from various sectors. The Prime Minister and Minister of Interior honoured the companies and winners of the 10th Tarsheed competitions.
The Prime Minister toured the exhibition where he was briefed on the winning projects, paintings and short stories participating in various competitions, in addition to the Tarsheed Project 2022 pavilion.
During the event, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs H E Eng Saad Sherida Al Kaabi disclosed that Qatar has saved over QR4bn in the second phase of Tarsheed.
Besides that, the State also reduced about 8,500 million kilogrammes of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, a significant sustainability goal for Qatar which plans to reach a 25% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, according to the national climate change action plan.
H E the Prime Minister touring an exhibition accompanying the celebrations.
The event was held under the theme“Towards Sustainability and Energy Efficiency”.
A decade after its launch and two phases later, Tarsheed has powered public participation to reduce daily water and electricity consumption, thereby reducing the annual national consumption levels per capita and encouraging sustainable and environmentally-friendly practices.
“Tarsheed worked during the first half of the last decade according to a programme aimed at achieving sustainability goals in energy efficiency and expanding the use of renewable energy in Qatar in line with Qatar National Vision 2030, the National Strategy 2018-2022, Qatar Environment and Climate Change Strategy 2021-2025 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
“By the end of last year, the efforts of the second phase of the programme (2018-2022) had resulted in achieving total savings of about 14,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity, more than 100 million cubic metres of water, an estimated 138 thousand million cubic feet of gas, and a reduction in emissions of about 8,500 million kilogrammes of carbon dioxide. The programme also saved more than QR4bn,” Eng Al Kaabi said.
The Minister of State stressed that efforts towards renewables, confronting climate change and ensuring sustainable production and usage of water and electricity would be the core goal of the third phase, from 2022 to 2030.
“We will strengthen our efforts during the third phase of the programme to implement more in core sectors such as the strategy for electric cars, establishing 1,000 electric charging stations by the year 2025, promoting energy use, and working on initiatives related to sustainability, confronting climate change and reducing carbon emissions,” he added.
Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani honouring a girl student during the 10th anniversary celebrations of Tarsheed, organised by Kahramaa at the Sheraton Doha Hotel, yesterday.
On the other hand, President of Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa), H E Eng. Essa bin Hilal Al Kuwari said the successes of phase two were due to the groundlaying work in the previous stage, which outlined the basic regulations on energy efficiency and sustainable usage of resources.
“The results of these efforts were in the second phase, achieving a financial return of more than QR4bn to the State and an estimated QR5bn in the first phase. We are proud of these achievements, but our real achievements are instilling the concept of sustainability and climate change in the new generation by reaching 1,000 schools. Also, we have seen a change in the behaviour of citizens, residents and our partners across all sectors in the country towards adopting a culture of rationalisation and energy efficiency,” Al Kuwari disclosed.
According to Al Kuwari, the next phase of the programme will enhance its previous achievements by preparing and developing regulations and legislation. It will also adopt the latest technologies compatible with the environment, electric vehicles and renewable energy, especially solar energy, and zero waste of water and electricity.
“Climate and environmental actions are considered one of the most important issues on the global scene. Since its launch in 2012, the programme has been a fundamental basis for reducing harmful carbon emissions. This is to reach a target of 8 million tonnes per year by 2030 while taking into account permanent economic and social growth,” he added.
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