UAE—all hands on deck

The country is adopting a new energy identity which gives emirates, other than kingpin Abu Dhabi, greater and more diverse roles

Six emirates united under the UAE flag at a time when towns were slowly emerging from empty desert, caravans of camels decorated the horizon and agents of foreign energy firms examined dog-eared maps on the heated bonnets of their 4x4s. Since that day in December 1971, the energy paths of Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain have differed hugely. Ras al-Khaimah joined the UAE a year later. For nearly half a century, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai to a lesser extent, took the lead in fossil-fuel production and consumption. But now the playing field is beginning to level out as other emirates leverage their natural resources. Three key triggers are spurring change. The first is t