Using the sun alone, or in combination with the power of the wind and the hydrogen obtained from sea water, a series of countries, among which Spain (a European country considered the most competitive for the production of green hydrogen) hopes to position itself, could become key logistical and energy production sites on the new world scene, along with Egypt, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. Multi million-euro investments have just been announced in Spain to create centers that produce green methanol, a fuel for the large ships that carry world trade, and in March it was announced that Egypt, through which 30% of the world’s container traffic passes, would host another important production site (El País, Nov. 3, 2022).

Despite possessing almost half of the world’s oil reserves (43%) and a quarter of its gas reserves (26%), while producing a third of the oil consumed worldwide and over 15% of its gas, all Arab countries, both exporters and importers of hydrocarbons, have turned towards renewable energies in the last two decades in order to reduce their dependence on these resources, in line with the global shift towards an energy transition. To achieve this, they have chosen to implement a series of action plans and agendas for the development of clean energies that ensure a sustainable energy transition (IRENA, 2020).

The Arab countries are located in one of the regions with the greatest solar radiation on the planet. Their solar energy production potential could reach 50-60% of the world’s electricity demand, and more than three-quarters of their territory would be suitable for developing wind farms. Fully aware of this, they are taking on important projects in the sector, in both solar and wind power generation, with some very high-profile projects, including the city of Mascara in Abu Dhabi and some of the largest solar plants in the world, like Benban in Aswan, Egypt (completed in 2019); those of Noor and Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in Abu Dhabi and Dubai; and the Noor plant in Ouarzazate, Morocco, the world’s largest concentrated solar power plant; and then there is the Dumat Al-Jandal Wind Power Project planned for Saudi Arabia, which will become the largest wind farm in the world (EVWind, 2019). Spanish companies are actively participating in these developments.

It is true that the policies being implemented tend towards the overly ambitious and, as in so many other countries in the world, the goals set have not been achieved, as we will see at the COP27 meeting in Egypt, but eventual change is irreversible for many reasons, from the depletion of hydrocarbon reserves in some countries and the unsustainability of fossil fuel subsidies in inflationary periods like the present, to the impact of climate change in the region, which will be one of the most affected in the world.

If they get the necessary financial support and political will, the Arab countries can become catalysts for global change towards an energy transition and unrivalled partners in leading that change.

Image: Solargis - MENA (2019) in MOHSENI-CHERAGHLOU, Amin. 2021.