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Sustainability

Sustainability and environmental business news from the Middle East. All the important stories, plus authoritative opinion and analysis

Sustainability overview

Sustainability news

Saudi arabia water

$4bn set aside for Saudi water projects

Saudi Arabia will spend $4 billion by the end of the decade on recycling over 2 billion cubic metres of water, about 70 percent of the country’s renewable water sources, an official said this week.  Speaking at the World Water Forum in Indonesia, Mohammed bin Zaid Abuhid, head of the General Authority for Irrigation, outlined […]

EV charger network UAE

UAE to roll out countrywide EV fast charger network

The UAE is speeding up the expansion of its electric vehicle charger infrastructure in support of the energy transition, the shift from fossil-based systems of energy production. UAEV, a joint venture between the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure and Etihad Water and Electricity that was announced on Monday, intends to build a network of high-performance […]

Wind turbines in Bozcaada, Turkey. The country wants to strengthen its renewable energy sector by developing the solar power market

Turkey’s renewables scheme given $1bn by World Bank

The World Bank has signed a $1 billion programme with Turkey to fast-track the nation’s renewable energy expansion initiatives. The financing comprises €600 million ($657 million) in loans from the International Bank of Reconstruction and Development, $30 million from the clean technology fund, and $3 million in grant funding from the World Bank’s energy sector management assistance […]

Dual-fuel container ship Ane Maersk leaves Hamburg on its maiden voyage Video length: 03:53

Shipping needs cheaper green methanol for its route to net zero

Higher costs and undersupply remain the biggest concerns for shipping companies seeking to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by switching to green methanol.  Danish logistics company Maersk has ordered 25 vessels that can run on sustainably produced e-methanol. Its first large methanol container ship, Ane Maersk, arrived at Jebel Ali port in Dubai last week. […]

Funds in green sukuk are placed in traceable, environmentally friendly investments such as renewable energy projects

Demand is high for Alrajhi bank’s first green sukuk

Saudi Arabia’s Alrajhi Bank has completed its $1 billion sukuk – having raised $3.5 billion in subscriptions from local and international investors – as the kingdom’s lenders push to raise funds for the government’s expensive giga-projects.  Sukuk are sharia-compliant bonds that were developed as an alternative to conventional bonds, which are not considered permissible by […]

Last year, there was a 29 percent increase in international tourist arrivals to the GCC compared to 2022

Why ‘over-tourism’ offers an opportunity for the GCC

The GCC region and its North African neighbour Egypt can reap the rewards of over-tourism across the globe, according to industry experts, with affordability playing a key role in fuelling the sector’s growth. The number of hotel rooms in the six countries of the GCC – Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE […]

An installation in Ottawa, Canada, near the venue where the UN is in a penultimate round of talks for a treaty to curb plastic pollution

Gulf petrochems sidestep curbs from global plastics treaty

Major petrochemical exporters such as Saudi Arabia are unlikely to face mandatory production curbs despite latest efforts to craft a global plastics treaty and clamp down on single usage. At a UN Environment Assembly in early 2022, member countries approved a resolution to end plastic pollution and forge an “international legally binding agreement” by the […]

An offshore wind farm in the UK. The projects planned by Masdar and Bapco could be the first such facilities in the Middle East

Bahrain signs deal with Masdar to develop wind energy

UAE clean energy company Masdar has formed a partnership with Bahrain’s Bapco Energies to explore the development of wind energy projects in Bahrain.  The two companies will develop up to two gigawatts (GW) in near-shore and offshore wind farms, Masdar said. The collaboration will help Bahrain accelerate the decarbonisation of its critical industrial sectors. Energy, […]

A boy shares a hot spring with cows in Guroymak, Bitlis, Turkey. The World Bank has recognised Turkey’s geothermal potential with $600m of grants and loans

Investors warm to Turkey’s geothermal sector

Turkey is planning to offset its hydrocarbons deficit by broadening its renewable energy base, with the country’s geothermal sector being targeted by investors as a strong growth market. Turkey’s current installed capacity of 1700 megawatts (MW) – much of which is being used in agriculture to heat greenhouses – ranks it among the leaders in […]

A flooded residential area in Dubai. New drainage infrastructure should be nature-based, say experts

Concrete or sponge? Dubai’s post-flooding options

In the wake of last week’s floods, retrofitting Dubai with traditional, concrete-based drainage systems would be expensive, time-consuming and complicated. As an alternative, authorities should look to nature-based solutions, industry professionals told AGBI. “Dubai should not repeat the mistakes that have been made in most of the Western world,” said Ronny Berndtsson, professor in water […]

The Al Dhafra solar PV project. Ewec plans to increase Abu Dhabi’s solar production capacity to 7.6 GW by 2030

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 […]

The Emirates Global Aluminium plant at Al Taweelah. New projects in collaboration with Masdar could be powered by renewable energy

Aluminium decarbonisation alliance takes shape in UAE

Emirates Global Aluminium, the UAE’s largest non-oil industrial company, has formed an alliance with state renewable energy company Masdar to work on decarbonisation projects. The two companies will explore the joint development of renewable energy projects such as battery storage and the production and storage of green hydrogen. They will also work together internationally to […]

The Khazna facility will raise utility Ewec’s total installed solar PV capacity to 5.5 gigawatts

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 […]

The total value of projects under construction in Masdar City is estimated at AED1 billion

Masdar City has up to $1bn of projects at design phase

Masdar City, Abu Dhabi’s sustainability-focused urban community, is working on projects in critical sectors of the UAE, backed by investments of between AED3 and AED4 billion ($817 million and $1 billion). The projects include energy, artificial intelligence (AI), space, life sciences and agriculture, the UAE state-run Wam news agency reported, quoting CEO Ahmed Baghoum. He […]

saudi space debris

Space trash offers Saudi Arabia a new revenue source

Saudi Arabia is targeting lucrative and environmentally critical opportunities in the rubbish removal sector – in outer space. More than 27,000 man-made objects larger than 10 centimetres, such as defunct satellites and spent rocket stages, orbit Earth, according to Nasa. This space debris puts at stake billions of dollars of assets such as spacecraft and […]