Energy

In recent years, Morocco has been working to reduce its energy dependency via the implementation of renewable energy projects and the rollout of an ambitious oil and gas exploration programme. Morocco, which has experienced a steady increase in energy consumption of about 5-6% every year over the past 25 years, is expected to see its demand...

Thanks to a sharp rise in investment, solar energy’s potential as the power of the future is enjoying renewed credibility in Dubai. The emirate is determined to be at the leading edge in energy innovation, but those responsible for meeting its growing power generation needs have also had to be convinced that the economics make sense as well....

The primary fuel mix in the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy includes one new ingredient that may at first sight seem to contradict the emirate’s increasingly green credentials – coal. In October 2015 Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) announced the preferred bidders for the Hassyan clean coal generation facility, the first phase of...

It has been 50 years since Dubai first struck oil in the Fateh field, but in 2016 the emirate’s determination to ensure it did not become dependent on petroleum wealth is paying dividends. Although the impact on its neighbours of lower global oil prices may have an indirect impact on Dubai’s fortunes in the years to come, in the immediate...

The vast deserts of the GCC were often seen as obstacles to development in the past, preventing widespread cultivation, holding down population growth and hindering overland travel. The oil sitting beneath those deserts changed that view. Like its GCC neighbours, Kuwait relied on oil resources to fuel its rapid economic development in the 20th...

Across the GCC, spending cuts have come to the forefront of fiscal discussions as hydrocarbons exports continue to fetch lower prices on global markets, resulting in decreased revenues. Subsidies, in particular, have been on the chopping block. In January 2016, Qatar announced plans to raise petrol prices by 30% to help address its expected...