DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Swiss-made solar-powered aircraft will start and attempt to finish its first round-the-world flight from the United Arab Emirates capital of Abu Dhabi, a government-backed renewable energy company in the oil-rich Gulf federation said Thursday.

The choice of Abu Dhabi as the launch site for the historic journey is likely to bolster the wealthy emirate’s efforts to position itself as a champion of renewable energy. It controls the bulk of the vast petroleum reserves in the Emirates, a seven-state federation that ranks among the largest oil exporters in OPEC.