Masdar City remains on track
Masdar’s CEO insisted on Wednesday that the renewable energy company’s plans had not been affected by an internal large-scale project review started last year.
Sultan Al Jaber made the comments during a press conference announcing Masdar’s appointment of Total S.A. and Spain’s Abengoa Solar to create a $600 million, 100-megawatt solar power plant in Abu Dhabi, Zawya Dow Jones reported.
“The review we called for towards the end of 2009 is very much timely, needed and required,” Al Jaber said.
“The vision for Masdar City remains the same, the vision has not changed,” he added.
During the announcement, it was revealed the solar power station would be the world’s biggest, offsetting the equivalent of 175,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
Development of the station would begin in this year’s third quarter and finish within two years, Masdar added.
Masdar will hold a 60 per cent in the project, with Abengoa and Total sharing 20 per cent each.
“Nothing has changed, the vision remains the same”??
Really?
2006: “We are building the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city, 100% powered by renewable energy with 1500 companies and 50,000 inhabitants. It will cover 6 square kilometers and be completed by 2015″.
Fast forward to 2010 reality:
-did we say zero-carbon? Well, we meant “carbon neutral”, ie if we can’t pull it off we’ll just buy carbon credits like everyone else.
-did we say zero-waste? You won’t hear us saying that now.
-did we say car free? We’ve just signed contracts to have gas filling stations inside Masdar city and the city-wide PRT contract has been cancelled.
-100% powered by renewable energy? Well, we are backtracking on that as well.
-did we say 1500 companies? Alan Frost, head of Masdar City said in the National in March that after 4 years of trying, Masdar could only secure one client (GE) for 1000 square meters of rent. Simply there is no demand in a saturated market.
-50,000 inhabitants? Well, we are a little short here.
-completed by 2015? Well we meant “Phase 1″, whatever that means. . .
-6 square kilometers? 4 years later there is only the MIST institute
Who do they think they are fooling?