On October 7^th, 2018, Minister of Electricity and Water Affairs H.E. Dr. Abdulhussain Mirza received United Nations Resident Coordinator, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme H.E. Amin El Sharkawi and members of the Sustainable Energy Unit of Bahrain.

The Sustainable Energy Unit under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Mirza and with the support of the United Nations Development Programme works to ensure that the Kingdom of Bahrain meets its national, regional and international commitments in regard to the sustainable use of energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. These efforts directly align and support the recently announced 6 Point Fiscal Balance Programme.

H.E. Mr. El Sharkawi congratulated H.E. Minister Dr. Mirza on the recent work towards achieving Bahrain’s National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP) targets. These achievements include the finalisation of a Green Building Code and an associated Green Building Rating Scheme with Ministry of Works and other stakeholders. The Code and the Rating Scheme ensure minimum energy and water performance of new and renovated buildings within the Kingdom and incentivise further investment in sustainability. Other achievements include developing with the Ministry of Finance a Green Public Procurement manual as an addendum to the standard financial manual to mandate sustainable government purchasing choices, several Energy Audits of Government Buildings to rationalise energy expenditure and highlight savings potentials.

Efforts of the Sustainable Energy Unit towards the National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP) have brought about important milestones including the development of the Net Metering Policy, which since January of 2018 has allowed property owners in Bahrain to install and benefit from Renewable Energy sources, including Solar energy. The survey of 530 public buildings to assess their suitability will be included in an upcoming tender – which will invite the private sector to offer bids for a Feed in Tariff, and the inclusion of a renewable energy mandate in the Green Building Code and Rating Scheme.

HE Amin El Sharkawi added that with all these efforts Bahrain is on its way to achieve the national renewable energy target of 5% by 2025 and 10% by 2035, and the national energy efficiency target of 6% by 2025. H.E. Mr. El Sharkawi emphasised that the goals of sustainable development are equally important for both developed and developing countries. H.E. Dr. Mirza highlighted the importance of cooperation between the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Nations to be working together towards a sustainable future.