'Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say'-Transparency and Plain-speaking in the Energy Sector

摘要

The recent headlines announcing that the UAE is set to boost green energy in the United Kingdom point up once again the sometimes tense interplay between energy policy and human rights. Our economic interests and political convictions are not always neatly aligned, and occasionally we can be caught on the horns of a dilemma. Abu Dhabi has been conducting negotiations with the British Government over the terms on which it will invest up to £1 billion in alternative energy schemes in this country, working in tandem with the now up-and-running Green Investment Bank. An MOU has just been signed at Buckingham Palace by Masdar, the Gulf emirate's renewables corporation, to coincide with the state visit of the country's ruler and President of the UAE, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. So far, so good.