Vast swathes of land across the desert region are seeing the sprouting of new special zones to entice big business to set up shop. But can the model work to power the GCC economy?

Agile work models and diverse skill demands propel MENA's freelance economy, empowering businesses to thrive amid modernization and digital transformation.

LOS ANGELES, US – The booming use of electric vehicles in parts of California is reducing CO2 emissions in those areas, a study showed on Thursday, bolstering a key pillar of the state's drive towards net zero. Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, say a network of sensors set up...

MOSCOW, RUSSIA – Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said the country became the world’s fourth-biggest LNG producer last year. The Russian Prime Minister said this in an annual report at the State Duma (lower house of the parliament), TASS reported. “Energy is adjusting gradually as well. A serious adjustment of logistics...

ABU DHABI, UAE - Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region, said that under the leadership of President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan the Emirates is at the forefront of leveraging cutting-edge technologies like AI to drive sustainable growth and progress, particularly in the...

ABU DHABI, UAE – Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA), together with JERA Co., Inc on Thursday announced that they have entered into a power and steam purchase agreement with Saudi Aramco Total Refining and Petrochemical Company (SATORP), a joint venture company owned by Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco)...

Speaking at the CERAWeek conference in Houston, Saudi Aramco Chief Executive Amin Nasser said that the current transition strategy is visibly failing on most fronts. adding that this is "hardly the future picture some have been painting." Fossil fuels accounted for 82% of global consumption last year.

Abu Dhabi, UAE--The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has called for increased investments in the oil industry to meet global energy demands and sustain economic growth. According to its secretary general, Haitham Al Ghais, these investments are crucial for ensuring reliable energy supplies for current and future generations....

AL-DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA – Aramco President and CEO Amin Nasser outlined the potential for stronger collaboration with Chinese partners in his speech on Monday at the China Development Forum in Beijing. Nasser underscored the possibility of fostering broader economic globalization by strengthening ties with Chinese partners and identified specific areas...

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – In the fourth quarter of 2023, the EU imported US$120.5 billion (€111.3 billion) worth of energy products amounting to a total of 187.9 million tonnes. Compared with the same period in 2022, imports decreased both in value (-34.2 percent) and in net mass (-11.7 percent), according to...

Abu Dhabi, UAE – The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) today announced that its operations and maintenance subsidiary, Nawah Energy Company, has safely and successfully connected Unit 4 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant to the UAE’s transmission grid. The grid connection of the fourth reactor at the nuclear energy...

Ankara, Turkey - Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced on Friday the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Turkiye and Turkmenistan, focusing on collaboration in the natural gas sector and hydrocarbon partnerships. Under the agreement, the initial phase will involve the transportation of up to two...

Copenhagen, Denmark - Developing countries should not have to set stricter targets for cutting their carbon emissions before funds are available to help them transition to cleaner energies, the chairman of this year's UN climate negotiations said Thursday. Addressing a ministerial climate meeting in Copenhagen, Azerbaijan's Mukhtar Babayev said "there is...

MOSCOW, RUSSIA – Russia does not see the risk of trading oil at a loss due to the redistribution of energy flows to the East - growing local markets will be able to "absorb" its supply, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. Lavrov said this in an interview for the...

The policy aims carbon emissions reduction through increased consumption of biodiesel by 20 percent by 2050. “It will lower the carbon footprint of diesel cars by 75 percent in case of consuming biodiesel by 100 percent,” said Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy.

Masdar to buy 50 percent stake in Terra-Gen from ECP.

ACWA was the sole financial advisor to Al Dur Phase II IWPP project company.

Pointing to the still paltry share of renewable energy in global supply, the head of Saudi Aramco described the current energy transition strategy as a misguided failure on Monday. "In the real world, the current transition strategy is visibly failing on most fronts," Saudi Aramco Chief Executive Amin Nasser said...

DUBAI, UAE – Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum chaired the 81st meeting of DSCE, which was held virtually. The Council reviewed updates of the demand side management strategy for 2030 and 2050, which set well-studied goals to reduce water and electricity...

In 2023, the firm demonstrated strong financial results.

Baku, Azerbaijan--NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Sunday stressed the need to fight global warming, and called climate change a "crisis multiplier" with implications for global security. He made the remarks during a press conference in Baku along with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, whose energy-rich country is set to host the...

Iran sealed contracts worth billions of dollars with domestic companies to boost its oil production in the face of Western sanctions. In a ceremony broadcast on state TV, the oil ministry and Iranian businesses signed deals worth $13 billion to increase daily oil production in six major fields.

The oil and gas strike is the first of 2024.

The annual consumer price index (CPI) came in at 3.2 percent last month, the Labor Department said, while the "core" measure stripping out volatile food and energy prices edged down slightly to 3.8 percent.

Tehran, Iran - Baghdad and Tehran are currently engaged in negotiations to facilitate the import of gas from Turkmenistan, with the Iraqi Minister of Electricity Luay Al-Khatteeb revealing that discussions are underway to utilize Iran's extensive network for the transportation of Turkmenistan's gas. Highlighting the challenges in establishing direct lines...

Beijing, China-- A greener globe requires a greener energy industry, which could definitely be represented by new quality productive forces such as green hydrogen, according to Baoshen Zhong, Chairman of LONGi Green Energy. China Economic Net quoted Zhong as saying, during the 2024 Two Sessions, that “Renewable energy, mainly photovoltaic...

Saudi Arabia said it transferred an additional eight percent stake from oil giant Aramco to firms owned by the kingdom's PIF sovereign wealth fund, according to state media. Aramco is the main source of revenue for Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman's ambitious economic and social reform program...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia--The biggest tech show in the Middle East, LEAP 2024, hosted by Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, is preparing for what organizers are terming as "record-breaking" final day with more announcement of investments expected to be made on the occasion. Abdullah Al-Swaha, Saudi minister of communications and information technology,...

The duration of each contract is of 22 months.

Doha, Qatar-- Businessmen and entrepreneurs from Qatar and China have discussed opportunities to set up joint ventures and commercial partnerships in various sectors, including technology, healthcare, energy, and real estate. This came in the Qatari-Chinese Business Meeting, hosted by the Qatar Chamber (QC) in the presence of QC's First Vice-Chairman...

Abu Dhabi, UAE - The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) on Friday announced that its operating and maintenance subsidiary, Nawah Energy Company, has successfully started-up the reactor of Unit 4 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant (Barakah Plant). The reactor has begun initial production of heat through nuclear fission, used...

PARIS, FRANCE – Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rose to a record level in 2023, but the growth slowed from previous years thanks to continued expansion of clean technologies, the International Energy Agency said on Friday. CO2 emissions from energy rose by 1.1 percent in 2023, increasing by 410 million tonnes to a...

Paris, France - Extraction of Earth's natural resources could surge 60 percent by 2060, imperiling climate goals and economic prosperity, the UN said on Friday, calling for dramatic changes in energy, food, transport and housing. Enormous expansion of infrastructure, energy demand and consumer consumption over the last half century, particularly in...

Abu Dhabi, UAE--Masdar, the UAE’s clean energy powerhouse, has completed its acquisition of a 49 percent shareholding in the 3 gigawatt (GW) Dogger Bank South (DBS) project – one of the world’s largest planned offshore wind farms. The planned $13.89 billion joint investment with RWE, a leading renewable energy company...

Cairo, Egypt--Egypt has signed seven Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) on Wednesday in green hydrogen and renewable energy with seven global developers with expected investments worth $41 billion over ten years, the Egyptian Government announced. Egyptian Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala Al-Saeed said that the agreements represent a new...

Tehran, Iran -- In a significant step towards enhancing energy cooperation between Pakistan and Iran, Islamabad has given the green signal for advancing much-delayed work on gas pipelines within its territory. This marked considerable progress in the Pak-Iran gas pipeline project, Mehr News Agency reported. The approval comes as Pakistan...

BEIJING, CHINA – The China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) has announced the recent discovery of the largest metamorphic rock oilfield in the Bohai Sea. According to China Central Television, the Bohai 26-6 oilfield, situated approximately 170 kilometers from Tianjin Municipality, has recently confirmed an unprecedented volume of oil and...

LONDON, UK – The price of natural gas in Europe fell again on Friday, taking it to its lowest in almost three years as mild winter weather continues and European stockpiles hold up. Mid-morning on Friday, the benchmark Dutch TTF futures contract was down 3.2 percent at US$24.3 (22.45 euros) a...

The company said lower energy prices cut into its profits.

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia triggered a massive shift by European nations away from Russian natural gas delivered by pipelines, with prices for LNG soaring as they competed on international markets for limited supplies. With a limited number of import terminals, European nations were also forced to undertake measures...

Paris, France -- The world needs "trillions" of dollars to spur on the green transition and tackle global warming, the head of last year's COP28 climate talks said Tuesday, warning that political momentum can evaporate without clear action. COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber hailed progress made at UN negotiations last year in...

EDF cut its large debt by increasing nuclear production.

Doha, Qatar - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday committed to strengthening ties with Qatar during his first visit to the gas-rich Gulf emirate since 2016. During a meeting with Qatar's ruler, Modi gave a "commitment to further expanding and deepening bilateral cooperation with Qatar", a statement from India's foreign...

"As the IEA celebrates its 50th anniversary this week, oil supply security remains as critical as ever," said the agency created half a century ago by the OECD to help rich countries weather the 1970s oil crisis which wreaked widespread economic havoc. "Given heightened geopolitical risks and low global oil...

Doha, Qatar -- UCC Holding, a Qatari company, has signed two energy contracts for seven projects in Kazakhstan. The first contract with QazaqGas comprises two gas treatment plants:1 BCMA Gas Processing Plant Project and 2.5 BCMA and the construction of a New Compressor Station CS-14 and Main Gas Pipeline CS-14...

"Demand for natural gas has already peaked in some regions but continues to rise globally, with LNG demand expected to reach around 625-685 million tons a year in 2040, according to the latest industry estimates," Shell said in a report.

The saboteurs hit pipelines in the cities of Borujen in the southwestern province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and Safashahr in the southern province of Fars, Aghli said, adding that there were no casualties in the explosions or the ensuing fires.

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – The Kingdom's surprise decision to halt a planned expansion of its oil production capacity reflects ambitions to expand into other forms of energy, the Gulf country's energy minister said on Monday. Oil giant Aramco announced on January 30 that the energy ministry had ordered it to maintain...

Despite the last COP in the United Arab Emirates ending with an unprecedented call to "transition" away from fossil fuels, an analysis by the NGO Global Witness based on data from Rystad Energy shows that the upcoming COP29 host aims to hike its gas production from 35 billion cubic meters...

LONDON, UK - Scientists in Britain announced on Thursday they had smashed a record for generating fusion energy in the final experiment using the Joint European Torus (JET) machines. Nuclear fusion is the same process that the sun uses to generate heat. Proponents believe it could one day help tackle climate...