ABU DHABI, Nov 4 (Reuters) – French energy companies, such as Total (TOTF.PA) and Air Liquide AIR.PA, are bidding for contracts and could invest in a new $15 billion carbon-neutral city in Abu Dhabi, France’s foreign trade minister said.

 
“French companies are in talks with Masdar. They want to get involved (and) can offer a lot of technologies in new energy,” Anne Marie Idrac told reporters on Wednesday.

Masdar was set up by the Abu Dhabi government in the United Arab Emirates to develop sustainable and clean energy.

It aims to put the emirate of Abu Dhabi, holder of 90 percent of the United Arab Emirate’s oil reserves, at the forefront of the future energy industry.

Total is bidding in a consortium for a solar power plant and Air Liquide is bidding to provide industrial gas into Masdar and may co-invest in the project, Idrac said.

Idrac, who was leading a French delegation to Saudi Arabia and Iraq, said other small and medium-sized companies were also looking at offering technologies at Masdar.

Masdar is investing $15 billion to build the world’s first carbon-neutral, zero waste city and is developing various alternative energy projects.

Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates, the world’s third-largest oil exporter, and has been spending billions of dollars developing its infrastructure as it looks to diversify its economy away from the hydrocarbons sector.