German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the planned Masdar City site on Tuesday as part of her tour of Abu Dhabi. She lauded its goals and ambitions in trying to create what is probably the most environmentally sensitive city ever planned. And she vowed that German firms were ready to partner with Masdar to help the project become a success.
As Masdar has stated in the local press, however, the project is being reviewed and a completion date is not exactly known after the company acknowledged challenges in planning the first-of-its kind eco-city.
Visits such as the one by the German chancellor will be key to keep up interest locally and internationally in the project, especially as it works through the technical challenges. The support of German industry, as well as previous statements from Swiss and South Korean firms and governments, can only help this project as it goes from a concept to the implementation stage.