Analysis GCC and South Korea kick off fresh round of trade talks The sixth round of trade talks between the GCC and South Korea has started in Seoul. The negotiations began on Monday and are scheduled to run until Friday. The two sides resumed talks on a free trade agreement earlier this year, following a 13-year hiatus. The agenda for the sixth round includes goods and services, […] October 25, 2022
Energy Oman targets $140bn investment through green hydrogen strategy Oman’s Ministry of Energy and Minerals has unveiled its ‘Green Hydrogen Strategy’, which envisions an estimated $140 billion in investment in a new low-carbon energy industry. The ministry established a new hydrogen-centric energy company, HYDROM, that will oversee the country’s growth of a green hydrogen-based energy future, the Oman Observer newspaper reported. Oman has committed […] October 24, 2022
Energy Saudi Arabia and China discuss stability of global oil market Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and China’s National Energy Administrator Zhang Jianhua have agreed to work jointly to support the stability of the international oil market, state-owned Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. The officials agreed to continue close communication and strengthen co-operation to address emerging risks and challenges, the report said, […] October 23, 2022
Analysis Sustainability Egypt’s Cop27 will see developing nations call for ‘climate justice’ Drought and famine haunt the Middle East. The Dead Sea has fallen to its lowest level in centuries. Starved of food and fresh water, desperate migrants criss-cross the Mediterranean, fomenting social unrest and violence. Within a few decades, a healthy global trade network has collapsed. Every major settlement has been abandoned or razed to the […] October 21, 2022
Analysis UAE investors keen to fund $226m net zero village in UK UAE investors are in talks to help finance a 21st-century net zero development inspired by a Victorian English village. A planning application has been submitted for the Heath Park project in Runcorn, northwest England, which aims to test future living trends in areas such as employment, housing, leisure, community, transport and energy consumption. Heath Park […] October 19, 2022
Analysis Energy How the UAE and UK can reap multi-billion hydrogen rewards The UK and UAE could create up to 100,000 new jobs each in the hydrogen sector by maximising opportunities for collaboration, which may also include a joint investment vehicle. A report by the World Green Economy Organisation (WGEO) and UAE-based sustainability consultancy Zest Associates concludes the two countries can become “influential players in this emerging […] October 14, 2022
Analysis Oil to outer space: the changing face of UAE-Japan trade When the Emirates lunar mission is launched next month, the trade relationship between the UAE and Japan will be taken to a whole new level – approximately 384,400km higher. The Rashid rover will be transported to the moon on a lunar lander made by Japanese company ispace. The exact date has yet to be confirmed, […] October 11, 2022
Analysis UAE and Germany grow ever closer with shared net zero goals The first four Mercedes Benz cars arrived in Abu Dhabi in 1965, imported by the Al Fahims, who founded Emirates Motor Company three years earlier. Last year, the UAE imported German automobiles worth nearly $1.2 billion. Also in the mid Sixties, the German company Siebert discovered enough water close to Al Ain to enable the […] September 30, 2022
Tourism Oman and UAE seek new trade era after multi-billion dollar deals Oman and the UAE are looking to begin a new era in trade relations following the signing of deals to boost collaboration in culture and media, railways, education, scientific research, agricultural wealth and financial markets. UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited Oman this week to sign an agreement between Oman Rail and […] September 28, 2022
Transport France’s Alstom signs Saudi deal for hydrogen-powered trains State-owned Saudi Railway Company (SAR) has signed a memorandum of understanding with France’s Alstom to develop hydrogen trains for the kingdom. Saudi Arabia in investing heavily to expand its public rail and metro networks and will build 8,000 kilometres of new track, officials said in January. SAR operates the Haramain High Speed Rail between Mecca […] September 22, 2022
ANALYSIS Economy 200 billion reasons why the Gulf is China’s hottest trading partner When Deng Xiaoping, the former communist leader of China, started his modernisation drive in the late 20th century, he looked to the Middle East as the only place that could provide the enormous quantities of oil and gas that his country required to become a global powerhouse. By the end of this decade, less than […] September 22, 2022
Energy Oman seeks to upgrade gas pipeline to transport hydrogen Oman will repurpose its gas pipeline system to transport green hydrogen, the Oman Daily Observer reported, citing OQ Gas Networks managing director Mansoor Ali Al Abdali. The aim is to quickly tap the significant business and growth opportunities when green hydrogen projects materialise in the Gulf state. OQ Gas Networks, the monopoly operator of the […] September 21, 2022
Energy Egypt in talks with Maersk for $15bn ‘green’ energy project Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has directed the government to cooperate with Danish shipping major Maersk Group to establish an integrated network to produce and distribute green energy and clean fuels for ships, according to local media reports. Maersk chief executive Soren Skou discussed with the president setting up a project to produce clean fuel […] September 20, 2022
Opinion Energy UAE has taken the lead on net zero as rest of Gulf plays catch-up Even if countries fall short of their net-zero goals, more serious climate action, founded on solid and achievable initiatives, has arrived in the Middle East September 16, 2022
Analysis Energy ADNOC sends first German cargo as it tests hydrogen ambitions Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has announced that its first shipment of low-carbon ammonia has left the UAE bound for Hamburg, Germany, as the company aims to overcome one of the biggest obstacles to its hydrogen industry ambitions. The demonstration cargo will be delivered to Aurubis, a global provider of non-ferrous metals and one […] September 7, 2022
Sustainability Global carbon capture institute opens in Masdar on net zero path As the UAE targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, the Global Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Institute has announced it will be opening its first Middle East headquarters in Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City. The Global CCS Institute is an international think tank with a stated mission of accelerating the deployment of CCS technology – considered […] September 2, 2022
Energy $3.5bn Saudi-Egyptian project powers up hydrogen transition Saudi Arabia has backed up its ambition to become the world’s largest exporter of hydrogen by 2030 with plans to develop a $3.5 billion project in Egypt. Riyadh-based Alfanar has signed a memorandum of understanding with the General Authority of the Suez Canal Economic Zone, the Sovereign Fund of Egypt, the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company […] August 31, 2022
Economy Oman to offer tax waivers and incentives in renewable push Oman is studying offering tax waivers and other incentives to attract investments and localised manufacturing opportunities across the value chain of the new “green energy” industry, according to a local media report. Some of the proposed incentives were recently shared by a high-level delegation representing a key forum held in London, UK, Oman Daily Observer […] August 29, 2022
Analysis Sustainability Beeah: the hero of zero waste is ready for its next mission The emirate of Sharjah is poised to become the Middle East’s first zero-waste city, after building the region’s first waste-to-energy plant. Yet even before the plant’s inauguration in May, Sharjah had the highest waste diversion rate in the region, at 76 percent, thanks to the pioneering efforts of local environmental and waste management group Beeah. […] August 23, 2022
Energy Abu Dhabi unveils hydrogen plan to bolster UAE’s eco ambitions Abu Dhabi unveiled its hydrogen policy and regulatory framework on Monday – part of the UAE’s push to become a global force in the low-carbon economy. The Department of Energy (DoE) said its framework aimed to accelerate the UAE’s national hydrogen strategy, adding that it is working with public and private sector stakeholders including Abu […] August 22, 2022
Energy Oman plans to allocate huge land in Dhofar for ‘green’ investors Oman’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning is seeking approvals for an estimated 450 million square metres of land in Dhofar governorate for renewables and green hydrogen projects. The process is being facilitated in coordination with several concerned ministries and government agencies, Sultan Al Ghafri, director general of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning […] August 22, 2022
Opinion Energy The answer to OPEC’s investment dilemma is in its own hands OPEC members worried about 'years of underinvestment' have a choice: open up to more international partners or increase their oil output August 15, 2022
