Analysis Banking & Finance Agtech startups and Egypt are hot prospects for Mena funding Startups across the Middle East and North Africa region raised $125 million in funding in December last year, with Egyptian companies leading the pack, ahead of regional powerhouses the UAE and Saudi Arabia. A joint report by Wamda and Digital Digest showed that Egyptian startups secured $45.7 million across 11 deals in December, more than […] January 13, 2023
Opinion Energy There’s no quick fix on energy. At PIF, we’re just getting on with it The Saudi sovereign wealth fund's head of energy and utilities explains why the transition to renewables is coming, but can't happen overnight – and why electric cars are older than you think January 9, 2023
Opinion Sustainability Private sector innovation will save our natural environment While politicians talk about curbing emissions, private sector innovations are actively driving the transition to renewable energy December 29, 2022
Opinion Sustainability Integrated sustainability comes of age in the UAE Sustainability looks primed for sector-wide adoption in the UAE in 2023 as the Gulf state finds solutions to environmental challenges December 29, 2022
Sustainability Jordan signs $121m loan deal to upgrade King Abdullah Canal Germany’s KfW Development Bank has partnered with Jordan’s Ministry of Water and Irrigation to provide a €115 million loan ($121.73 million) towards the upgrade of the 65km northern part of King Abdullah Canal. Water minister, Mohammad Najjar, who signed the deal with KfW Amman office director Mark Schwiete, said the project will pump 10 million […] December 20, 2022
Energy Dewa’s $300m power plant set for Q1 2023 completion State-owned Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has completed 93 percent of the 829 megawatts (MW) fourth phase of the AED 1.1 billion ($299.47 million) H-Station power plant in Al Aweer with investments. This phase will increase Al Aweer power station complex’s total capacity to 2,825 MW under climate conditions of 50 degrees Celsius and […] December 12, 2022
Construction Dubai utility provider gets 29 bids for Hassyan reverse osmosis plant State-owned Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has received 29 expressions of interest to implement the first phase of its 120 million gallons per day Hassyan seawater reverse osmosis plant project using the independent water producer (IWP) model. This is the first project implemented by Dewa using the IWP model, which will run in phases […] December 11, 2022
Opinion Sustainability The dark side of a renewables future The renewables sector must find recycling solutions to establish a truly circular economy November 18, 2022
Israel to build new desalination plant to meet water shortage Israel’s IDE Technologies and Bank Hapoalim won a government tender to build a new water desalination plant in northern Israel, Hapoalim said. Hapoalim, one of Israel’s two largest banks, will provide 1.3 billion shekels ($381 million) for the project near the northern city of Nahariya off the Mediterranean coast which aims to help the country […] November 14, 2022
Analysis Sustainability 30 of the most sustainable companies in the Middle East With Cop27 beginning today in Egypt, we focus on 30 businesses tackling the social and environmental challenges that threaten the region Middle Eastern companies large and small are going green as they realise the environmental and commercial potential of being socially conscious. Governments are also focusing on sustainability, placing green projects at the heart of […] November 6, 2022
Cop28 Egypt to sign 9 projects with $15bn investments at Cop27 Egypt’s Ministry of International Cooperation plans to sign contracts for nine projects with investments worth $15 billion at the Cop27 climate summit. The projects fall in the water, food and energy programme, which is a regional and international approach to move from the pledges stage to the implementation stage, reported Egypt Today, citing a ministry […] November 3, 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 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 Economy Egypt aims to double private sector to tackle economic woes Weakened by the consequences of the war in Ukraine, Egypt has been forced to negotiate a new loan from the International Monetary Fund and wants to double the private sector’s share in its economy. By 2025 Egypt’s government wants the country’s private sector’s investment contribution to more than double to 65 percent from the current […] October 17, 2022
Sustainability UAE backs use of robotic planes to charge fog clouds in arid areas The UAE is continuing its support for scientific experiments involving robotic, unmanned aircraft releasing electric charges into fog clouds, in a bid to encourage more rainfall in the skies above the emirates. Real-world ‘cloud seeding’ experiments conducted by the UK’s University of Reading, and supported by the UAE’s National Centre for Meteorology, confirmed that releasing […] October 10, 2022
Analysis Construction Sponge City Initiative could fix Mena’s growing flood threat A Dubai-based company is in talks with authorities across the Middle East about bringing a revolutionary “sponge city” concept to the region following the UAE’s recent record levels of rainfall which led to loss of life and flood damage. Dake Rechsand, which specialises in sustainability solutions for water conservation, rainwater harvesting and stormwater management, exhibited […] October 4, 2022
Opinion Sustainability Everybody is responsible for climate change – we must do more More independent research is required so businesses, the public and media can hold governments to account September 21, 2022
Energy TAQA refinances $1.1bn facility of Mirfa power and water project Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA) said that its majority-owned subsidiary, Mirfa International Power and Water Company (MIPCO), has refinanced a AED 4 billion ($1.09 billion) debt facility. MIPCO owns and operates the Mirfa Power and Water Plant (Mirfa IWPP). The company is 60 percent owned by TAQA, with France’s ENGIE and Japan’s Sojitz owning […] 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
Empower reports 41.3% rise in buildings using district cooling Dubai-based Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower) reported a 41.3 percent growth in the number of buildings using its district cooling services over the last five years. The number of buildings reached 1,413 by the end of 2021, 13 percent higher year-on-year, the company said in a statement. In 2021, Empower’s district cooling market share […] August 30, 2022
Saudi utility firm to pre-qualify bidders for water pipeline project State-owned utility services provider Saudi Water Partnerships Company (SWPC) has issued a request for proposals (RFPs) to pre-qualified bidders for the development of the Rayis-Rabigh Independent Water Transmission Pipeline (IWTP) project that will have a 500,000 cubic metre per day transmission capacity. The 150-kilometre long pipeline project is expected to be completed in the fourth […] August 28, 2022
Opinion Agriculture Businesses must act to solve water scarcity in developing countries F&B giant PepsiCo aims to become 'net water positive' by 2030 to tackle the global threat of scarcity August 26, 2022
