S05 TRME Power 2022 Annual Power Review Feature_Layout 1 10/06/2022 15:39 Page 18
Annual Power Review
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Governments across the region are taking significant steps to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and promote renewable energy.
Winds of change driving Middle East energy transition The Middle East region is battling the dual challenges of building new capacity while grappling with mounting climate change concerns, as new renewable technologies start to squeeze out traditional thermal-based power units. Martin Clark reports. HE OIL-RICH COUNTRIES of the Middle East region have long been used to cheap electricity, but the need to face up to the challenges of climate change means that governments are having to rethink their approach to power generation. That is reflected in the inactivity on the ground, as companies and countries alike navigate the sometimes competing goals of raising generation capacity as quickly as possible while factoring in new environmental limitations.
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Policy considerations are now changing as a result of climate change and environmental concerns. Technical Review Middle East - Annual Power Review 2022
These dual challenges, and others, are highlighted in the Energy & Utilities Middle East and Africa Outlook Report 2022 by Informa Markets. Overall, power generation has increased significantly over recent years — but during that time, climate change worries have become ever more pressing. Power generation across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has doubled in the past 15 years, from around 842TWh in 2005 to 1,635TWh by 2020, according to data compiled by BP. The largest producers tend to be either the most populous or the richest states in the region, such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran and Egypt. Not all countries have fared so well, however. The World Bank estimates that access to electricity is around 89% in wartorn Syria and 73% in Yemen. The likes of Iraq and Lebanon also suffer frequent power cuts as demand frequently overwhelms the inadequate and fragile electricity generation and supply networks.
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