Articles

Russia’s reckless and bloody invasion of Ukraine in February set in motion a cascade of events for which it was ill-prepared. Europe began the process of divorcing itself from Russian fossil fuels, the U.S. coordinated sweeping export controls on key inputs such as semiconductors with Asian partners, and the Russian …

Germany is in crisis in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s energy giant, Gazprom, effecting a 60 per cent reduction in the amount of natural gas it supplies to the country. This appears to be the latest move by the Kremlin to punish Europe for sanctions and military support for Ukraine. …

On 21 November, the Fifa football World Cup kicks off in Qatar, marking the end of a glorious cycle of investment and the start of Qatar’s next phase of development. Nine stadiums have been built for the tournament at a cost of about $5bn. Together they crown a $157bn programme …

After six challenging years for the GCC construction industry, contractors, consultants and suppliers can at last look forward to a return to growth and the prospect of rising project opportunities in 2022. With some $1.4tn-worth of construction and transport projects planned in the GCC yet to see their main contracts …

The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed the progress towards universal access to electricity and clean cooking fuels and technology, according to a UN-sponsored report published on Wednesday. Globally, 733 million people lack access to electricity, and 2.4 billion still cook using fuels that are harmful to their health and the environment. …

The coming 18 months will see the next two UN climate change conferences take place in the Middle East, with Cop 27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in November 2022 and Cop 28 in Abu Dhabi in November 2023. The events highlight the region’s commitment to decarbonisation and sustainable development, and …

Apart from the host nation Qatar, the FIFA World Cup 2022 should deliver sizeable economic prospects for UAE and Bahrain too. The football carnival is expected to give a $20 billion to $25 billion boost to Qatar. In addition, rising liquid natural gas (LNG) prices and the spurt in orders …

Germany plans to use coal-fired power plants that were due to be closed this year and next as reserve facilities, as part of a plan to make sure the country can keep the lights on in case natural gas supplies from Russia are abruptly cut. The plan comes as the …

The European Commission has today presented the REPowerEU Plan, its response to the hardships and global energy market disruption caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. There is a double urgency to transform Europe’s energy system: ending the EU’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels, which are used as an economic and …

The energy price surge and crunch in late 2021 and the ongoing crisis in Ukraine have renewed global momentum for replanning energy transition roadmaps. While some suggest accelerating clean energy transitions to cope with surging energy prices, others are taking the opposite approach. For example, Germany, a pioneer in the …