Natural gas will continue to play a major role in electricity generation amid rising renewable energy adoption, a top executive from General Electric said on Tuesday.
“Gas power would still play a major role in addressing the demand, but also enable more penetration of renewables,” Otmane Benamar, chief technology officer at GE Gas Power EMEA, said at the Middle East Energy event in Dubai.
“Because while we are [increasing the share of renewables], we're bringing intermittency into the [electricity] grid, so we need to make sure that we have stable and dispatchable generation to address it,” said Mr Benamar.
The share of renewables in global electricity generation rose marginally to 28.7 per cent in 2021, the International Energy Agency reported.
Middle East countries, particularly the UAE and Saudi Arabia, have been investing heavily in new renewable energy projects as they work to direct their economies away from crude oil exports.
As of 2021, solar power accounted for 97 per cent of installed renewables capacity in Gulf Co-operation Council countries, the International Renewable Energy Agency said.
Europe, which is looking to reduce its reliance on Russian gas exports, has been entering long-term liquefied natural gas agreements with the US and Gulf countries.
“There are billions of dollars in assets that are there, and we will not just throw everything and put renewables — that’s not how it works,” said Mr Benamar.
“We need to do this transition while maintaining the reliability of power and the affordability of power.”
Oil and gas accounts for almost 95 per cent of electricity generation in the Middle East and North Africa, an International Energy Agency report from last year showed.
Thermal plants in the region consume more than 290 billion cubic metres of gas, or more than one third of its gas production, and 1.75 million barrels a day of oil, the agency said.
“We need to make sure that we start today by doing upgrades on the existing [infrastructure], which reduce the carbon-dioxide emissions and … makes sure that we can cope with the variation that is being brought about by renewables,” said Mr Benamar.
Panellists also spoke about the role of consumers in power generation.
“How do we incentivise people to draw from the grid at timings that are appropriate for the operator?” said Abhay Bhargava, vice president of consulting at Frost & Sullivan.
“It's about putting in place the right kind of incentives [and] tariffs that ensure that you can shape the demand [and] bring in some level of sanity to what's going to happen,” said Mr Bhargava.
Some countries in the Middle East such as Iraq, Lebanon and Syria frequently experience severe power cuts and rolling blackouts.
Iraq’s electricity network losses are among the highest in the world. As per the Iraq Energy Institute, about 30 per cent to 50 per cent of electricity generated is lost due to an inadequate transmission and distribution network.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The%20specs
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Results
4.30pm Jebel Jais – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (Turf) 1,000m; Winner: MM Al Balqaa, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Qaiss Aboud (trainer)
5pm: Jabel Faya – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: AF Rasam, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
5.30pm: Al Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Mukhrej, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: The President’s Cup Prep – Conditions (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mujeeb, Richard Mullen, Salem Al Ketbi
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club – Prestige (PA) Dh125,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud
7pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Pat Dobbs, Ibrahim Aseel
7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Nibraas, Richard Mullen, Nicholas Bachalard
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
Ponti
Sharlene Teo, Pan Macmillan
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
INVESTMENT PLEDGES
Cartlow: $13.4m
Rabbitmart: $14m
Smileneo: $5.8m
Soum: $4m
imVentures: $100m
Plug and Play: $25m
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Tales of Yusuf Tadros
Adel Esmat (translated by Mandy McClure)
Hoopoe
Company%20Profile
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
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Florida: The critical Sunshine State
Though mostly conservative, Florida is usually always “close” in presidential elections. In most elections, the candidate that wins the Sunshine State almost always wins the election, as evidenced in 2016 when Trump took Florida, a state which has not had a democratic governor since 1991.
Joe Biden’s campaign has spent $100 million there to turn things around, understandable given the state’s crucial 29 electoral votes.
In 2016, Mr Trump’s democratic rival Hillary Clinton paid frequent visits to Florida though analysts concluded that she failed to appeal towards middle-class voters, whom Barack Obama won over in the previous election.
