Fostering a New Energy System for the Gulf, the Red Sea, and the Mediterranean

Through investments in solar and wind power, grid connections, and hydrogen, energy transition in the Middle East is well under way. This transition is urgent for large countries such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt, since their rapidly growing economies and populations have vastly increased their consumption of domestic energy. Continuing to burn oil and gas for domestic energy could lead to Saudi Arabia struggling to export oil by as early as 2030, and therefore the Saudi transition to renewables alongside cutting fossil fuel subsidies has been a significant milestone in the economic development of the Arab region as a whole. The story is similar in Egypt; alongside its transition away from fossil fuel subsidies, the country has cut its energy import bill by investing in renewables.