Bhutan and the United Arab Emirates share strong and steadily expanding relations, with significant scope to deepen cooperation across sustainability, renewable energy, trade, and investment, Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay has said. He emphasised the need to strengthen bilateral engagement in key economic sectors, highlighting Bhutan’s vast renewable energy potential as a major area of collaboration.
“We need to do more in terms of trade and investments,” Tobgay noted, pointing to Bhutan’s fast-flowing rivers as a critical natural resource for generating clean hydropower that can support green hydrogen production and other downstream sustainable industries. He said Bhutan has an estimated renewable energy potential of nearly 40 GW, with current installed capacity at about 3.5 GW and plans to add another 20 GW over the next 15 years.
This expansion, he added, could enable the development of green fertilisers, sustainable aviation fuel, green data centres, and artificial intelligence computing powered by renewable energy. Emphasising Bhutan’s environmental leadership, Tobgay said the country maintains 70 per cent forest cover and remains carbon-negative, sequestering five times more carbon than it emits.
Tourism was identified as another key area, with Bhutan’s high-value, low-impact model offering opportunities for increased UAE investment, particularly in wellness tourism. He also cited carbon credit trading, organic farming, and conservation as emerging sectors. Speaking at WGS 2026, Tobgay said the summit fosters dialogue and partnerships while showcasing Bhutan’s sustainability-led growth model.
