The Shams 1 solar plant in Abu Dhabi was the first utility scale solar plant in the Middle East when it launched in 2013. Marwan Naami / AFP
The Shams 1 solar plant in Abu Dhabi was the first utility scale solar plant in the Middle East when it launched in 2013. Marwan Naami / AFP

Region's renewable energy boom to require $200bn investment



An unprecedented surge of renewable energy projects in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region will need more than US$200 billion worth of investment in the coming years, according to a new research from business intelligence service Meed.

More than 67 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy projects are currently at the design and study stage within the region, that will also necessitate a significant expansion and upgrade of existing power networks to facilitate the extra capacity.

"The pipeline of renewable energy projects will increase further in the next five years as governments seek to meet the rapidly growing demand for power through implementing ambitious renewable energy programmes," said Meed in its Renewable Energy in the Mena Region 2017 report, published on Saturday.

While the region has been slow to adopt renewable energy in the past due to its large hydrocarbon reserves, there has been a significant shift over the past five years, with more to come.

After the launch of Abu Dhabi's 100 megawatt (MW) Shams 1 plant, the region's first utility scale solar facility, the dramatic fall in the cost of photovoltaic (PV) solar in recent years has led to the launch of some of the world's largest solar projects in the region, supported by the submission record low tariffs.

These include a 300MW solar project in Saudi Arabia, launched in April, and a 200MW solar project from the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority.

Meed's survey of 12 Mena countries found that total installed generating capacity in 2015 was 271,761MW, with just over 7 per cent of this figure derived from renewable energy. Much of this capacity derives from hydropower, with only Morocco in North Africa and Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE commissioning solar projects with capacities greater than 100MW.

“This is set to change significantly in the coming years, with the record-low tariffs being achieved for utility-scale renewables projects throughout the region changing the perceptions of governments and utilities towards renewable energy,” the report added.

Saudi Arabia, for example, is currently under way with its first round of the National Renewable Energy Programme, which will tender more than 700MW of solar and wind projects this year. This is part of the kingdom's plan to generate 9.5GW within six years.

In  March, the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) said the UAE leads the region in renewable energy, producing 139MW, up from 134MW in 2015.

Irena, which is based in Abu Dhabi, said that 2016 was the strongest year for new renewable capacity around the world, which was up by 161GW.
The agency estimated that by the end of last year, global capacity reached 2,006GW, with solar energy showing especially strong growth.

How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

  • An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
  • A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
  • A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
ESSENTIALS

The flights 
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes. 
Where to stay 
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.

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Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

FIXTURES

Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan

The top two teams qualify for the World Cup

Classification matches 
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.

Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place play-off

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