Estonia’s exports to UAE double after Expo 2020 Dubai Estonia’s participation in Expo 2020 Dubai helped the European country’s exports of goods and services to the UAE increase by more than 100 percent in the past year. The value of Estonian goods exported to the UAE was up 126 percent year-on-year to €80.8 million ($80.57 million) in the eight months from January to August […] October 31, 2022
Analysis Energy Energy crisis inflates Gulf demand and strains Europe The Opec+ oil production cuts announced in early October look set to ensure high energy prices continue for some time – a boon for Gulf producers but a headache for energy importers elsewhere. The situation is particularly acute in Europe, where countries have been scrambling to find alternatives to Russian gas. The first instinct of […] October 28, 2022
Analysis Energy Aramco, Adnoc and the long road to decarbonisation As some of the world’s biggest carbon emitters, the Gulf’s national oil companies have come under considerable scrutiny in recent years. Several are now ramping up their decarbonisation efforts in response to the deepening climate crisis and tougher targets for environmental, social, and corporate governance. In October last year Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil-exporting […] October 28, 2022
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
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
Energy UAE’s Barakah nuclear plant unit 3 connected to transmission grid UAE’s Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation’s (ENEC) operations and maintenance subsidiary, Nawah Energy Company (Nawah), has connected unit 3 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant to the UAE’s transmission grid. The third unit will add another 1,400 megawatts of zero-carbon emission electricity capacity to the national grid, WAM, the UAE state-owned news agency, reported. Barakah’s first […] October 9, 2022
Analysis Energy Answer to UK’s energy needs is blowing in the Moroccan wind The UK is working with Morocco on an £18 billion ($20bn) plan to build vast solar panel and wind farms in the desert that could power more than seven million British homes by 2030. It will also deliver electricity at about half the rate of that produced by nuclear power plants. With the world in […] October 3, 2022
Analysis India reaps early benefits from its trade deal with UAE India’s non-oil exports to the UAE have recorded double-digit growth since the two nations signed a trade deal earlier this year. New Delhi’s Ministry of Commerce reported that exports to the UAE, excluding petroleum products, grew to $5.92 billion in June-August, from $5.17 billion during June-August 2021 – an increase of 14 percent. India’s global […] September 27, 2022
Energy Gulf oil CEOs attack ‘unrealistic’ energy transition goals Saudi Aramco’s CEO has lambasted the “unrealistic” energy transition scenarios that he claims have exacerbated a global energy crisis. His counterpart at Abu Dhabi National Co (ADNOC) also warned that efforts to tackle climate change could prove counterproductive if they slow economic growth. In unusually fiery comments, Aramco CEO and president Amin Nasser warned that […] September 25, 2022
Energy UAE’s Barakah nuclear plant starts operations on third unit UAE’s Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation’s (ENEC) operating and maintenance subsidiary has started up unit 3 of the Barakah nuclear energy plant, it said in a statement. The start-up of unit 3 by Nawah Energy Company (Nawah) was achieved one year after the start-up of unit 2. The connection of unit 3 to the national electricity […] September 23, 2022
Sustainability UAE launches think tank to drive net zero 2050 ambitions The launch of the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA) was announced on Tuesday to drive the UAE’s commitment towards net zero by 2050. The UICCA is a non-partisan, climate action entity that will bring together members of the public and private sector, including academic institutions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). In the lead-up to the […] September 21, 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
Opinion Energy Opec+ treads fine line between oil markets and geopolitics Alliance's minimal moves on production are statement of intent as it straddles the wishes of the US and Russia September 6, 2022
Opinion Energy The Gulf’s future is with renewables, not fossil fuel The replacement of Russian oil and gas with Gulf fossil energy won't meet commitments to climate protection August 31, 2022
Energy South Korea in $2.2bn deal with Russia for Egypt nuclear plant South Korea signed a $2.2 billion deal with Russia’s state-owned Rosatom to provide buildings and components for a new Egyptian nuclear plant, Bloomberg reported. Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. won a contract to supply buildings, equipment and materials for Egypt’s El Dabaa project, South Korea’s energy ministry said in a statement. The state-owned Korean […] August 31, 2022
New deals aim to enhance UK-Qatar trade and investments The UK has enhanced its relationship with Qatar, its third largest Gulf trading partner, with the announcement of two new agreements to boost trade and investment. UK trade minister Ranil Jayawardena met Qatar’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Thani in London last week to agree the partnerships at the third UK-Qatar […] August 30, 2022
Opinion Energy How big data will save the planet A clear and trusted data strategy is a must as we progress through a complex and critical energy transition process from carbon to clean August 25, 2022
Analysis Energy Sharjah wins waste-to-energy race as rest of region cleans up its act Dubai had the Gulf’s first “seven-star” hotel and Abu Dhabi hosted the inaugural “day-night” Formula One Grand Prix. The emirate of Sharjah can claim a UAE first too – one that is less glitzy but potentially more transformative – the first waste-to-energy power plant. The Sharjah waste-to-energy facility, officially inaugurated in May, adds another dimension […] August 23, 2022
Opinion Iran nuclear deal Riyadh offers wary support for revived Iranian nuclear deal Saudi views Iran’s nuclear programme with concern, but remains worried any revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action won't contain Iran's missile programme or its support for militias August 18, 2022
Analysis Energy Oil firms ride high but sector braces for more ‘realistic’ prices The Middle East’s oil and gas sector will remain buoyant into 2023, even as global oil prices become more “realistic” after surpassing a 15-year high of $123 per barrel in March, according to analysts. Oil prices hovered just below $90 per barrel on Tuesday, having gradually come down from $100/barrel at the end of July […] August 16, 2022
Analysis Economy GCC embraces public-private partnerships to drive projects Public-private partnerships will become more important across a wider range of sectors in the Gulf region as countries continue to diversify their economies, say experts. With the total value of planned and unawarded projects in the GCC countries expected to reach $2 trillion, governments are seeking more private sector support in infrastructure projects delivery. “Both […] July 28, 2022
