Infrastructure Saudi water agency seeking global partnerships A Saudi government body set up this week to address global water challenges hopes to collaborate with other organisations across the world to meet its goals, the kingdom’s environment minister said on Friday. “The vision for this initiative is not just about creating a research and policy platform,” said Abdul Rahman Al Fadhli, Saudi Arabia’s […] September 8, 2023
Opinion Logistics Act now to protect your supply chain against severe weather It would be foolish not to give serious scrutiny to your business September 4, 2023
Energy Masdar chief hails ‘defining moment’ in $3bn green fund The chairman of Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, better known as Masdar, has described the completion of its debut green bond issuance as a “defining moment”. The $750 million 10-year senior unsecured notes are listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and form the first part of a programme to raise up to $3 billion. […] August 7, 2023
Agriculture High-tech greenhouse turns up heat on UAE sustainability Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ has teamed up with Netherlands-based Safe Haven Solutions to build a high-tech greenhouse in the UAE capital. The 10-hectare facility will be built in ADQ’s AgTech Park in Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi. It will use advanced agriculture technology such as a cooling system inside the greenhouse to help […] August 7, 2023
Analysis Agriculture Saudi and Brazil sow seeds to partner on food security Saudi Arabia is intensifying its trade and investment ties with Latin America in pursuit of food security and green energy, as a ministry-led delegation hunts for opportunities in Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Argentina, Panama and Paraguay. A visit to São Paulo earlier this week by Khalid al-Falih, Saudi minister of investment, coincided with a Brazilian […] August 3, 2023
Exclusive Energy Acwa Power bids to turbocharge Saudi’s green targets When it comes to the green transition, Saudi Arabia has got some catching up to do. The country is targeting a 50-50 split in electricity generation between renewables and gas by 2030, but in 2021 just 0.2 percent of electricity came from renewable sources. To achieve this Vision 2030 goal, the country has tasked its […] July 28, 2023
Opinion Renewable Energy GCC can take centre stage in global energy transition The region is becoming a finance hub for climate and renewable energy July 26, 2023
Agriculture Cop28 urges nations to put food at heart of climate action The UAE has called on governments around the world to put food at the centre of their climate-change agendas. Speaking at the UN Food Systems Summit in Rome on Monday, Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, the UAE’s minister of climate change and the environment and Cop28 food systems lead, invited governments to sign the Leaders Declaration […] July 25, 2023
Opinion Sustainability Iran is running out of water, with little signs of progress During the winter months, snowfall carpets the Alborz mountains that loom over Tehran, sending millions of gallons of water through the capital’s roadside drains known as jubes and world-famous qanat systems of underground aqueducts. Across the country, a series of naturally occurring lakes and rivers combined with reservoirs and dams combine to trap the snowmelt. […] July 24, 2023
Opinion Agriculture Cop28 must advance urban agriculture to cut emissions The summit in Dubai should advance agricultural technology to mitigate climate change July 20, 2023
Energy UAE waste-to-energy plant starts transmitting electricity The first electricity transmission to the UAE’s national power grid has been delivered from Dubai’s $1 billion waste-to-energy facility as the emirate seeks to reduce its landfill dependence. Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI) and its joint venture partner Besix made the announcement on Tuesday, saying that the Dubai Waste Management Centre will power 135,000 homes in […] July 19, 2023
Opinion Sustainability The UAE has a difficult path to negotiate As Cop28 host and a major oil exporter the Emirates faces a tricky balancing act July 17, 2023
Sustainability Jordan gets $250m funding to tackle water crisis Jordan has received $250 million funding from the World Bank to improve its water services efficiency. The funds will be used to rehabilitate water distribution networks, improve energy efficiency and strengthen the country’s drought management system, the World Bank said in a statement. An estimated 1.6 million people are set to benefit from the improved […] July 17, 2023
Infrastructure Egypt opens 17 infra projects for private sector investment Egypt has approved 17 infrastructure projects under its public-private partnerships (PPP) scheme, according to finance minister Mohamed Maait. The projects include three wastewater and industrial waste plants in Sadat, New Beni Suef and New Mansoura, and nine transformer plants and electrical grid projects in the New Administrative Capital, 6 October City and New Aswan City. […] July 14, 2023
Analysis Oil & Gas TotalEnergies pins hopes on desalination for Iraq project TotalEnergies’ $27 billion development deal with Iraq includes building a water desalination plant crucial to Baghdad’s efforts to raise oil production, but doubts persist over the financial and logistical viability of the long-delayed project. The multifaceted agreement signed on Monday foresees constructing a 1 gigawatt solar power plant, capturing waste gas from oil fields to […] July 13, 2023
Sustainability Abu Dhabi seeks proposals for new desalination plants State-owned Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) to develop the new Abu Dhabi islands reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plants. The Abu Dhabi Islands RO independent water project consists of two standalone greenfield low-carbon seawater desalination plants on Saadiyat and Hudayriat islands. Both plants will provide a combined 100 […] July 7, 2023
Manufacturing Food sector dominates new factories approved in Saudi Saudi Arabia approved licences for 53 new factories with total investment capital of more than $5 billion in April. The majority of new licences came from the food products industry, according to the latest monthly figures from the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, with nine new licenses approved. Other major sectors included non-metallic minerals […] July 6, 2023
Opinion Sustainability Wanted: more action and less hot air In the "Year of Sustainability" every area of Gulf society must play their part now June 27, 2023
Development Saudi Arabia to invest $320m rebuilding Yemen Saudi Arabia will invest SAR1.2 billion ($320 million) to help rebuild war-battered Yemen, the state-owned Saudi Press Agency announced on Sunday. The kingdom has launched a package of 20 development projects in Yemen’s Hadramawt province, which form part of the kingdom’s “continuous economic and development support for the country,” the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed […] June 26, 2023
Opinion Sustainability The Gulf can spearhead sustainability through football The beautiful game is a formidable tool for increasing Arab soft power June 21, 2023
Abu Dhabi’s Taqa to buy local water firm for $463m Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) has signed an agreement to buy UAE-based Sustainable Water Solutions Holding Company (SWS Holding) for AED1.7 billion ($462.91 million). Launched in May, SWS Holding took ownership of Abu Dhabi Sustainable Water Solutions Company (ADSWS), the entity behind the emirate’s wastewater collection, treatment and reuse. As part of the deal, […] June 21, 2023
Agriculture UAE’s ADQ backs solar-powered desalination plant Silal, part of Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company ADQ, has partnered with Netherlands-headquartered solar thermal desalination company, Desolenator, to launch a pilot project using solar-powered desalination technology to produce pure water for irrigation. The project aims to contribute to the decarbonisation of food production in desert climates by significantly lowering the carbon footprint of […] June 11, 2023
