Construction begins on world's first zero-carbon, zero-waste city
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Feb 5 /PRNewswire/ -- On February 9, 2008
at 6:30 p.m. in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (9:30AM EST/2:30PM GMT), the
Masdar Initiative will break ground on Masdar City, the world's first
zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city, powered entirely by renewable energy.
Leading architects and engineers have come together from around the world to
design Masdar City, which will save more than $2 billion of oil over 25 years
and serve as a benchmark for the next generation of green design.
During his keynote address, Masdar's CEO Dr. Sultan Al Jaber will announce
previously unreleased details on the construction and financing of Masdar
City. The event will be culminated by the laying of a "cornerstone." The
entire groundbreaking will be offset by solar power reserves produced by
Masdar's photovoltaic testing facilities.
This groundbreaking is the first physical step towards creating the home
of the Masdar Initiative. The first phase of the city's seven-phase plan is
the development of The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) --
the world's only graduate school dedicated to renewable energy -- developed in
collaboration with MIT and scheduled to open in 2009.
WHAT: Groundbreaking Ceremony for Masdar City
WHEN: Saturday, February 9th at 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Masdar City location, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
(map available upon request)
WHO: Masdar CEO Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Masdar's directors and
Abu Dhabi officials
Masdar (www.masdaruae.com) is a multi-faceted, multi-billion dollar
investment in renewable and alternative energy and clean technology. In
January 2008, Abu Dhabi announced an initial investment of $15 billion in
Masdar, the largest single government investment of its kind. Masdar is
helping to explore, develop and commercialize future energy sources.
Masdar City will become the global center for future energy, and companies
and individuals from around the world will operate from the city in their
quest to develop sustainable, secure and equitable energy solutions.
For more information or to schedule live interviews on-site or via
satellite, please contact:
In the Americas:
Mark Grundy, +1 212 819 4882, mark.grundy@edelman.com
Michael Iacovella, +1 212 704 8254, michael.iacovella@edelman.com
In Europe:
Laura Misselbrook, +44 (0)20 7344 1285, laura.misselbrook@edelman.com
In the MENA Region:
Mohammed Kharroubi, +971 50 428 9678, m.kharroubi@asdaa.com
For b-roll, renderings, fly-through animation or stills, please visit:
http://thenewsmarket.com/masdar.
SOURCE Masdar
in the Americas, Mark Grundy, +1-212-819-4882, mark.grundy@edelman.com, or
Michael Iacovella, +1-212-704-8254, michael.iacovella@edelman.com; in Europe,
Laura Misselbrook, +44-20-7344-1285, laura.misselbrook@edelman.com; or in the
MENA region, Mohammed Kharroubi, +971-50-428-9678, m.kharroubi@asdaa.com, all
for Masdar
