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Wataniya Petroleum

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 […]

Cloud seeing drones UAE

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 […]

Sponge City Initiative

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Gulf serves up locally farmed salmon – and better food security

From the old man who dredged up a djinn to the boy who netted an emerald, fishermen populate the folk stories of the Arab world. But the dhow fleets of the Gulf no longer provide a lifeline for local economies. By contrast, aquaculture – the farming of fish, shellfish and aquatic plants – has begun […]

Make it rain: UAE pins its hopes on cloud seeding

Condensation streaming down windows is a familiar sight in Dubai’s summer, an illusion of rain at the hottest time of year.  The UAE’s average rainfall is extremely low in August, but in recent years there has been a rise, which some experts attribute to cloud seeding – when a dedicated fleet of planes take to […]

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 […]

Dubai utility DEWA’s Q2 profit up 37% on growing energy demand

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) reported a net profit of AED 2.61 billion ($707.9 million), up 37 percent year-on-year, in the second quarter of 2022 on higher energy demand. Revenue rose 14 percent year-on-year to AED 7.01 billion during the three month period ended June 30, 2022. The utility provider’s first half of 2022 […]

Saudi PIF-owned firm plans $29bn worth of water projects

Saudi Arabia’s National Water Company (NWC) intends to tender 1,429 projects worth more than SAR108 billion ($28.80 billion), the state-owned utility services provider said in a statement. The announcement by NWC, which is owned by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, Public Investment Fund (PIF), continued the company’s plans to develop water and environmental infrastructure projects […]

Meet the Irishman selling ice in the desert

In the ever-competitive Dubai bar and restaurant market, a new supplier has launched this week, aiming to offer venues another unique selling point: high quality, hand-cut ice. Since he officially launched on August 1, John Gillespie, founder of Artisan Ice Co., has been targeting the top 30 venues in the city and he said the […]

UAE invests in future flood control after record rainfall

The UAE’s recent record levels of rainfall, resulting in loss of life and flood damage, pose budgetary challenges for authorities, but also opportunities for regional infrastructure investors. The National Centre of Meteorology said last month was the wettest July in the UAE for over 40 years. It said that 234.9mm of rain fell between 22:30 […]

Person, Human, Table

Food security report delivers stark warning to import-reliant Gulf

GCC governments must step up their efforts to develop agri-food technology and recycle waste, a new food security report has warned. The Gulf is one of the world’s most import-dependent regions. The main food security challenge for the GCC is a natural or man-made crisis that could block one or more countries’ access to imports, […]

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 […]

Dubai’s DEWA to invest over $10bn as energy demand rises

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) plans to invest 40 billion dirhams ($10.89 billion) on capital expenditure over the next few years, just a day after it announced energy demand in the emirate rose by 6.3 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2022. The firm provides electricity and water services to 3.5 million people […]

Gulf construction may face imminent sand shortage

A little-known fact: the sand used in the concrete to build Dubai’s 829-metre tall Burj Khalifa was imported from Australia. While water scarcity generates much concern, sand shortages are only beginning to receive attention – especially in the desert metropolises of the Gulf. A report in April by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) highlighted […]