Renewable Energy Abu Dhabi to generate 50% power from green sources by 2030 Abu Dhabi plans to generate more than half of its electricity from renewable and clean energy by 2030, a senior Emirates Water and Electricity Company (Ewec) official has said. The state-owned entity is increasing the emirate’s solar energy production plan to 7.6 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, the UAE state-run Wam news agency reported, quoting CEO Othman Juma […] April 19, 2024
Banking & Finance Acwa Power takes China bank loan in first for Saudi Arabia Saudi energy major Acwa Power has secured an $80 million loan from the Bank of China as the appeal of the Chinese Renminbi as a trade currency gains traction in the GCC. Acwa Power, the world’s largest private water desalination company and a first mover into green hydrogen, has received the equity bridge loan to […] April 19, 2024
Renewable Energy Cost of Xlinks Morocco-UK project balloons by a third The cost of an ambitious project to deliver green energy from the south of Morocco to power homes in the UK has ballooned by more than a third to $30 billion. Xlinks First is behind the Morocco-UK renewables project, which would construct the world’s longest high-voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea power cable between the North […] April 19, 2024
Renewable Energy African renewables are ripe for investment, says Irena Africa accounted for less than 1 percent of the new renewable energy sources added globally last year, and a conference in Abu Dhabi this week called on wealthy investors to help the continent achieve its targets. Amani Abu Zeid, commissioner for infrastructure and energy of the African Union Commission, told the International Renewable Energy Agency […] April 18, 2024
Renewable Energy Renewables target for 2030 in sight for Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia will expand its renewable energy output sixfold by 2030 if it continues at its current pace, a survey found this week. But it will need to add 20GW of capacity annually if it is to reach an ambitious government target laid out last year. In December the government set a new target of […] April 17, 2024
Renewable Energy Developers sought for Abu Dhabi’s Khazna solar plant Emirates Water and Electricity Company (Ewec) is seeking developers to build a 1,500 megawatt solar power facility in Abu Dhabi as the emirate ramps up its green energy drive. The utility has issued a request for proposals to qualified companies that have expressed interest in developing the Khazna Solar Photovoltaic project. A total of 27 […] April 17, 2024
Opinion Sustainability The Gulf is well-placed to soar on SAF – but not yet Sustainable aviation fuel is in its infancy but the Gulf has a hydrogen trump card April 16, 2024
Sustainability Abu Dhabi awards contract for first waste-to-energy facility A joint venture between Dubai’s Alec Engineering and Contracting (Alec) and Lebanon’s Butec has won a contract to design and build Abu Dhabi’s first waste-to-energy plant. The joint venture will collaborate with Hitachi Zosen Innova, a Swiss-based cleantech company, on the project, Alec said in a statement. Located near the Al-Dhafra landfill, the facility – […] April 15, 2024
Analysis Renewable Energy Lithium’s highs and lows – and what they mean for the Gulf For one of the world’s most critical minerals, the past two years have been the best of times and the worst of times. First, lithium prices shot skywards, hitting around $80,000 per metric tonne in 2022 amid fears that global supply would not meet demand. Then, in just a year, the soft, silvery-white metal lost […] April 12, 2024
Renewable Energy Atvos in deal to build biomethane plant in Brazil Brazilian ethanol producer Atvos has signed an agreement to build a biomethane factory in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, with investments seen at more than 350 million reais ($69.4 million), it said in a statement on Wednesday. The biomethane plant is expected to have a 28-million cubic meter capacity per crop and will […] April 10, 2024 In association with
Analysis Renewable Energy Middle East renewable capacity doubles but the region is lagging Renewable energy capacity in the Middle East has more than doubled in the past decade, with Iran and the UAE leading the way – but the region remains a bit-part player globally. New figures released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) show that regional capacity rose from just under 16 gigawatts to more than […] April 8, 2024
Manufacturing US battery manufacturer to build $3bn factory in Rakez The American battery manufacturer Statevolt is to construct a $3 billion factory in Ras Al Khaimah. Statevolt Emirates, as the venture will be known, will generate up to 2,500 jobs at its 60 hectare facility in Al Ghail Industrial Zone in Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (Rakez). The manufacturing facility is “strategically focused on key […] April 3, 2024
Energy UAE weighs investments in Europe’s nuclear power sector The UAE has approached countries in Europe, including the UK, to gauge their interest in the Middle Eastern state investing in their nuclear power infrastructure, according to three sources familiar with the talks. As part of its outreach, the UAE has discussed the idea of state-owned Emirates Nuclear Energy Company (ENEC) becoming a minority investor […] April 1, 2024
Energy Turkey looks to Russia to build second nuclear power plant Turkey hopes to expand its partnership with Russia’s state-owned Rosatom to develop its second nuclear power plant in Sinop on the southern coast of the Black Sea, a senior government official has said. The Russian company is working on the country’s first Akkuyu nuclear power plant (NPP) in Mersin province on the Mediterranean coast. The project […] March 28, 2024
Renewable Energy Germany’s Nordex to invest $1bn in Turkey’s wind energy sector German wind turbine maker Nordex plans to invest €1 billion ($1.1 billion) as part of its expansion strategy in Turkey. The company aims to increase its wind energy capacity by 1 gigawatt (GW) next year from the existing 3.5 GW, state-owned Anadolu Agency reported, quoting CEO Jose Luis Blanco. He said that Ankara will be able to […] March 26, 2024
Analysis Renewable Energy Kuwait playing catch-up with latest renewables strategy Kuwait still has a way to go on its energy transition, industry experts say, despite the announcement of a 20-year renewables strategy. Salem Al-Hajraf, minister of electricity, water and renewable energy, said on March 7 that the country is targeting carbon neutrality by 2050. “We … need an increase in solar energy, which is considered […] March 20, 2024
Trade Turkey imposes dumping duties on solar panel imports Turkey plans to implement anti-dumping measures on solar panel imports from five countries to combat unfair competition, according to a local media report. The countries are Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Croatia and Jordan, state-run Anadolu Agency reported, citing the government’s official gazette. The solar panel imports will be subject to a fee of $25 per sq m, […] March 20, 2024
Renewable Energy Masdar to buy 50% stake in US green energy producer UAE’s clean energy company Masdar has signed a deal to acquire a 50 percent stake in Terra-Gen Power Holdings II, one of the largest independent renewable energy power producers in the US. Masdar will buy the stake from Energy Capital Partners, a US investment company. No financial details on the deal were shared. Igneo Infrastructure […] March 20, 2024
Renewable Energy Energy transition strategy ‘visibly failing’, says Aramco CEO Saudi Aramco’s chief executive believes the current global energy transition strategy is “visibly failing on most fronts” and needs an urgent reset. Despite $9.5 trillion of investment in the past two decades, other energy sources have still not scaled up sufficiently to offer an alternative to hydrocarbons, Amin Nasser told the CERAWeek by S&P Global […] March 19, 2024
Renewable Energy Morocco offers new incentives for green hydrogen investors Morocco has launched new incentives to attract investors in green hydrogen projects. The Rabat government has allotted 1 million hectares (almost 3,900 square miles) of land for new projects as part of its “hydrogen offer,” the office of Morocco’s prime minister, Aziz Akhannouch, said in a statement. The first phase involves making 300,000 hectares of […] March 17, 2024
Trade Cenomi’s Uzbekistan debut a sign of Saudi trade ambitions Saudi retail major Cenomi has announced its debut in Uzbekistan in tandem with the kingdom’s efforts to expand bilateral trade with the Central Asian nation. Uzbekistan is Cenomi’s 11th-largest international market, and it has signed a deal to open eight international brands – including a flagship Zara store – at the newly developed Tashkent City […] March 13, 2024
Renewable Energy XLinks reaffirms UK is priority for Morocco power project British renewable power company Xlinks is “100 percent committed to the UK” despite reports suggesting it was refocusing its attention on Germany. Xlinks is overseeing the $22 billion Morocco-UK renewables project, which involves building solar panel and wind farms in the desert of the North African country. Via the installation of high-voltage direct current (HVDC) […] March 13, 2024
