Cop28 must deliver on promises
25 October 2023
Commentary
Jennifer Aguinaldo
Energy & technology editor
There is a good chance that the average delegate attending the 2023 Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (Cop28) will skip visiting or driving past the key clean energy installations in the UAE.
These include the wind turbines on Sir Baniyas Island, 9.5 kilometres (km) off Jebel Dhana in Abu Dhabi; the $29bn Barakah nuclear power plant in Al-Gharbia, close to the border with Saudi Arabia; the solar farms in Sweihan and Al-Dhafra in Abu Dhabi; and Dubai’s Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum Solar Park, 50km from Expo City, the venue for Cop28.
For many delegates, a trip to these sites is unnecessary. They are aware of the UAE’s green credentials, with the country having ploughed billions of dollars into investments aimed at decarbonising its economy, and more still to come.
For others, however, a single statistic undermines the positive environmental steps that the world’s sixth-largest crude exporter has taken. State-backed energy firm Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) plans to increase its oil production capacity from 4 million barrels a day (b/d) to 5 million b/d by 2027.
Double-edged strategy
Critics, who include the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, have warned of the dangers of a double-edged energy transition strategy. Cop28 president-designate Sultan al-Jaber, managing director and CEO of Adnoc, prefers to describe such an approach as pragmatic.
An agreement requiring developed countries to provide loss and damage funding to countries most affected by climate change was a key takeaway from last year’s UN climate change conference in Egypt (Cop27). However, there was a lack of progress on the phasing down or out of fossil fuels.
The onus is now on the UAE, whose energy transition approach embraces energy sources from fossil fuels to green hydrogen, to deliver a more productive conference.
The hope is that the UAE’s status as an oil- exporting country, and the selection of an oil industry stalwart to lead this year’s negotiations, will not distract from the important tasks that the 12-day event aims to tackle.
Cop28 will see the first global stocktake of the progress countries have made towards their emissions reduction commitments or nationally determined contributions (NDCs).
Al-Jaber has also promised to supercharge climate finance and put more pressure on developed countries to fulfil the commitment they made at Cop15 in Copenhagen to mobilise $100bn annually by 2020. This target has been missed repeatedly.
A UAE finance initiative that will provide $4.5bn to help unlock Africa’s clean energy potential was announced in early September and is an example of such commitment.
Al-Jaber’s insistence on putting oil and gas companies at the heart of the climate dialogue is proving both decisive and divisive, however, depending on which side of the climate debate one supports.
“This is your opportunity to show the world that, in fact, you are central to the solution,” he told the oil and gas-dominated Adipec conference held in Abu Dhabi on 2-5 October.
How can green ammonia compete with grey ammonia if the gas for the grey ammonia is provided at a fraction of world market prices?
Cornelius Matthes, Dii Desert Energy
Cyril Widdershoven, global energy market analyst at Netherlands-based consultancy Verocy, supports Al-Jaber’s views.
“The main Cop28 outcome will be linked to an even and rational transition from hydrocarbons to renewables, taking into account the overall need to cut emissions and [carbon] footprint,” he says.
The summit will lead to a realisation that hydrocarbons will be a major part of the overall energy scene for decades to come, as the world is not yet ready to be fully electrified, Widdershoven adds.
The oil and gas industry’s increased presence at, and participation in, Cop28 is expected to make an impact.
“There will be huge pressure on the oil and gas industry to participate in the decarbonisation of energy systems, first by eliminating methane flaring and then eliminating emissions from their own operations by 2030,” says Paddy Padmanathan, co-founder and vice-chairman of clean energy firm Zhero and former CEO of Saudi utility developer Acwa Power.
“Abu Dhabi can influence the national oil companies to sign up to this, and Adnoc and Saudi Aramco should be able to influence the international oil companies to sign up.”
Top 10 UAE clean energy projects
Walking the talk
The UAE has shown leadership by being the first country in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region to initiate the phasing out of fossil fuel subsidies in 2015, Cornelius Matthes, CEO of Dubai-based Dii Desert Energy, tells MEED.
“It was also the first Mena country to introduce a net-zero 2050 target in 2021, and has an unparalleled track record in building some of the largest solar plants in the world at record-low prices.”
Since other countries in the region have already followed the UAE’s lead, the expectation is for Cop28 to provide impetus for similar initiatives to accelerate.
With Abu Dhabi leading, Zhero’s Padmanathan expects it will also be possible to secure financial commitments
to the Loss & Damage Fund that was established at Cop27.
A declaration from the world’s 46 least-developed countries cited a “strong outcome operationalising the new Loss & Damage Fund” among their key expectations and priorities for Cop28.
Home to more than 14 per cent of the world’s population, these countries contribute about 1 per cent of emissions from fossil fuels and industrial processes and most are on the front line of the climate crisis. The majority need funds to deal with the impact of climate change in sectors such as agriculture, while others require funds to develop clean energy sources.
Tripling initiative
The goal of tripling global renewable energy capacity is expected be included in the agenda for Cop28.
This is in line with the International Energy Agency’s recommendation that the world needs to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030 if the 1.5 degrees Celsius cap on global warming that was agreed in Paris in 2015 is to still be within reach.
However, this goal needs a clear mechanism to be effective, according to an expert in the renewable energy field.
“There will be a big song and dance around the commitment to tripling solar and wind deployment by 2030, but given there will be no mechanism for holding anyone responsible for it, and for sure there will be no consequence … I cannot see how meaningful such pledges can be,” the expert tells MEED.
Hard issues
The wider Mena region, which will share the spotlight and scrutiny associated with Cop28, will have to demonstrate a willingness to talk about the reduction of all harmful emissions, not only carbon, says Matthes.
The easiest option is to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, as they encourage energy waste and profit wealthy populations disproportionately.
“How can green ammonia compete with grey ammonia if the gas for the grey ammonia is provided at a fraction of world market prices?” Matthes asks.
Introducing a cost for all harmful emissions is another opportunity that can automatically improve bankability for energy transformation projects. To their credit, the UAE and Saudi Arabia have recently introduced voluntary carbon markets, which are seen as steps in the right direction.
Initiatives to boost energy efficiency across the Mena region should also be part of the conversation. These range from efforts to use air conditioning, cooling and water more discriminatingly; electrify transportation; deploy battery energy storage systems; and increase the decarbonisation of the production, shipping, refining and upstream use of oil and gas.
“The region’s waste of energy should be reduced and eliminated before even thinking about how to produce energy,” says Matthes.
Possible scenarios
Despite promises of inclusivity and productiveness, there is a strong probability that most Cop28 negotiators will get only a fraction of what they hope to take away from the summit.
“In a complex system like the Cop negotiations, we need to be realistic about what can be achieved,” says Matthes. “As we have seen in the past ... the same countries always manage to dilute compromises and block long-overdue and necessary developments.”
A likely post-Cop28 scenario could include an agreement requiring the oil and gas industry to do and spend more to decarbonise their products and operations, share in the financial burden of climate change mitigation, and if possible, curb production. This could avoid the use of wording that proved contentious at Glasgow’s Cop26 when a deal that called for the “phase out” of coal-fired power had to be amended to “phase down” following pressure from some countries.
Climate change advocates will have to live with the fact that fossil fuels, and their entire supply chain, are not likely to be penalised further or disappear. Major change is unlikely until the world is ready to be fully electrified, or until the fear that halting oil production could cause energy insecurity and economic chaos can be overcome.
The Global North countries will have to weigh the best options to reach their net-zero carbon emission targets by 2050 without risking their economic growth. However, countries such as the UK are in the process of pushing back some of their energy transition targets.
Meanwhile, most Global South countries will continue to bear the brunt of the worsening climate crisis, albeit with some support from top carbon-emitting and wealthy nations.
Rightly or wrongly, this could highlight the merit of Al-Jaber’s preferred pragmatic and inclusive approach to Cop28 in terms of technologies, fuels and the representation of sectors.
“A convergence of interests and the dramatic changes to the status of the global energy transition over the past few years … could help countries find new momentum and solutions that might not have seemed feasible in the past,” says Matthes.
Image: Cop28 president-designate Sultan al-Jaber engages with Pope Francis on driving positive outcomes for climate action. Credit: Cop28
Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.
Exclusive from Meed
-
Abu Dhabi seeks firms for Mid Island Parkway PPP15 May 2026
-
Oman seeks adviser for gas-fired IPPs15 May 2026
-
-
-
All of this is only 1% of what MEED.com has to offer
Subscribe now and unlock all the 153,671 articles on MEED.com
- All the latest news, data, and market intelligence across MENA at your fingerprints
- First-hand updates and inside information on projects, clients and competitors that matter to you
- 20 years' archive of information, data, and news for you to access at your convenience
- Strategize to succeed and minimise risks with timely analysis of current and future market trends
Related Articles
-
Abu Dhabi seeks firms for Mid Island Parkway PPP
15 May 2026
Modon Infrastructure, formerly known as Gridora, has invited firms to submit their registrations for the next phase of Abu Dhabi’s Mid Island Parkway Project (MIPP), which will be developed on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis.
The request for qualifications (RFQ) is expected to be issued to interested parties soon.
Modon Infrastructure will act as the lead developer with the majority of the equity in the project company. It will award the engineering, procurement, and construction contractor, the operations and maintenance providers, and the advisers.
The second phase of the MIPP involves the construction of about 11 kilometres (km) of highways, including a mix of three-, four- and five-lane highways. The highways will connect the Um-Yifeenah, Al-Jubail, Al-Sammaliyyah and Sas Al-Nakhl islands to Khalifa City and the E10 road.
The scope also covers the construction of three interchanges: the E20, E10 and Dumbbell interchanges on Al-Sammaliyyah Island.
The project includes several major structures, such as the E20 interchange featuring cast-in-place box girder and void slab bridges, and the E10 interchange with cast-in-place box girder bridges. It also includes I-girder bridges between Raha Beach West and Sas Al-Nakhl Island, as well as a causeway at Sas Al-Nakhl Island.
Further key elements include a cast-in-place balanced cantilever bridge between Sas Al-Nakhl Island and Al-Sammaliyyah Island, a tunnel between Al-Sammaliyyah Island and Bilrimaid Island, and a cut-and-cover (open) tunnel on Bilrimaid Island. The project is completed with another tunnel connecting Bilrimaid Island to Um-Yifeenah Island.
Abu Dhabi awarded three packages for phase one of the MIPP in 2024. The contract for package 1A was awarded to a joint venture of Turkish contractor Dogus Construction and UAE firm Gulf Contractors. Package 1B was awarded to a joint venture of Yas Projects (Alpha Dhabi Holding) and China Railway International Group. Beijing-headquartered China Harbour Engineering Company and the UAE’s Agility Engineering & Contracting Company won the contract for package 1C.
Phase one starts at the existing Saadiyat interchange, connecting the E12 to the MIPP, and ends at the recently constructed Um-Yifeenah highway.
It comprises a dual main road with a total length of 8km, including four traffic lanes in each direction, two interchanges, a tunnel and associated infrastructure works.
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16858325/main.jpg -
Oman seeks adviser for gas-fired IPPs
15 May 2026
Oman’s Nama Power & Water Procurement Company (PWP) has issued a request for proposals for technical consultancy services for the development of new gas-fired independent power projects (IPPs) in the sultanate.
The state offtaker said the projects will have a total capacity of up to 2,800MW.
The bid submission deadline is 17 June.
While Oman is accelerating investment in renewable energy and battery storage, gas-fired thermal generation is expected to remain a core part of the country’s power mix over the coming decade.
The Misfah and Duqm combined-cycle gas turbine power plants are advancing towards construction following the appointment of China-headquartered Shandong Electric Power Construction No. 3 Company (Sepco 3) and South Korea’s Doosan Enerbility as contractors.
According to Nama PWP’s 2025 annual report, the Duqm IPP will have a total capacity of 877MW, including 555MW of early power capacity, which is scheduled to commence in Q2 2028.
The Misfah IPP will have a total capacity of 1,700MW, including 1,203MW of early power capacity, which is scheduled to commence in the same quarter.
Nama PWP has also recently awarded new power-purchase agreements (PPAs) to three IPPs to extend the operating life of existing gas-fired power plants beyond the expiry of their current contracts.
The new agreements for the 750MW Sohar 2 IPP and 750MW Barka 3 IPP will take effect on 1 April 2028 and run until 31 March 2043. The agreement for the 200MW Sur IPP will commence on 1 April 2029 and run until 31 March 2044.
The awards form part of Nama PWP’s 2028-29 procurement programme. The programme aims to secure firm generation capacity from existing assets whose current PPAs are due to expire during that period.
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16857037/main4750.jpg -
Alghanim submits lowest offer for Kuwait oil refinery project
15 May 2026
Kuwait’s Alghanim International General Trading & Contracting has submitted the lowest bid for a contract to upgrade the country’s Mina Al-Ahmadi (MAA) refinery.
The client is state-owned downstream operator Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC). The project scope covers upgrades to water transmission and storage infrastructure at the refinery.
The contract will be delivered under an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) model. The tender was issued in October 2025 with an initial bid deadline of 4 January 2026, which was later extended several times. The most recent rescheduling moved the deadline from 19 April to 10 May.
Alghanim submitted a bid of KD37.0m ($120m), significantly lower than the other two bidders, both Kuwait-based: Heavy Engineering Industries & Shipbuilding Company (Heisco) at KD60.6m ($197m) and Gulf Spic General Trading & Contracting at KD63.9m ($207m).
The project is expected to take two years to complete and will expand water storage capacity at the facility by extending existing tanks or constructing new ones. The contractor will also develop associated infrastructure and upgrade systems that transport desalinated water to the refinery, including pipelines and related equipment.
In its 2024-25 annual report, KNPC said the project will help meet water demand for the facility’s refining and gas production units.
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16852744/main.jpg -
Civil and piping work starts on Iraq field development
15 May 2026
Civil works and piping work have started for the project to develop a second central processing facility (CPF) at Iraq’s Ratawi oil and gas field, according to industry sources.
The project is part of the $27bn Gas Growth Integrated Project (GGIP), which is being developed by TotalEnergies along with its partners Basra Oil Company (BOC) and Qatar Energy.
Phase one of the GGIP is expected to be worth about $10bn.
Work is progressing on the project despite logistical problems related to the regional conflict that broke out after the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February.
While early works are ongoing, equipment needed for later stages of the project is being delayed as it was due to be transported to the project site using ships that would have travelled through the Strait of Hormuz.
Shipping through the Strait is still severely disrupted due to the regional conflict.
In September, Turkiye’s Enka signed a contract to develop the second CPF at Iraq’s Ratawi field as part of the second phase of the field’s development.
Enka did not give a value for the contract, but it is believed to be worth more than $1bn.
In November, US-based KBR was selected by Enka to provide detailed design services for the project.
Enka’s contract covers the engineering, procurement, supply, construction and commissioning of the CPF for the project known as the Associated Gas Upstream Project Phase 2 (AGUP2).
The aim of the AGUP2 project is to process oil and associated gas from the Ratawi oil field to increase production capacity to 210,000 barrels a day of oil and 154 million standard cubic feet a day of gas.
GGIP masterplan
The GGIP programme is being led by TotalEnergies, the operator, which holds a 45% stake.
Basra Oil Company and QatarEnergy hold 30% and 25% stakes, respectively. The consortium formalised the investment agreement with the Iraqi government in September 2021.
The four projects that comprise the GGIP are:
- The Common Seawater Supply Project (CSSP)
- The Ratawi gas processing complex
- A 1GW solar power project for Iraq’s electricity ministry
- A field development project at Ratawi, known as the Associated Gas Upstream Project (AGUP)
The CSSP is designed to support oil production in Iraq’s southern oil and gas fields – mainly Zubair, Rumaila, Majnoon, West Qurna and Ratawi – by delivering treated seawater for injection, a method used to boost crude recovery rates and improve long-term reservoir performance.
China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corporation (CPECC) won a $1.61bn contract in May to execute EPC work for the gas processing complex at the Ratawi field development.
CPECC’s project team based in its Dubai office is performing detailed engineering work on the project.
In August last year, TotalEnergies awarded China Energy Engineering International Group the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the 1GW solar project at the Ratawi field. A month later, QatarEnergy signed an agreement with TotalEnergies to acquire a 50% interest in the project.
The 1GW Ratawi solar scheme will be developed in phases, with each phase coming online between 2025 and 2027. It will have the capacity to provide electricity to about 350,000 homes in Iraq’s Basra region.
The project, consisting of 2 million bifacial solar panels mounted on single-axis trackers, will include the design, procurement, construction and commissioning of the photovoltaic power station site and 132kV booster station.
Separately, in June, TotalEnergies awarded China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering an EPC contract worth $294m to build a pipeline as part of a package known as the Ratawi Gas Midstream Pipeline.
Also, TotalEnergies awarded UK-based consultant Wood Group a pair of engineering framework agreements in April, worth a combined $11m, under the GGIP scheme.
The agreements have a three-year term under which Wood will support TotalEnergies in advancing the AGUP.
One of the aims of the AGUP is to debottleneck and upgrade existing facilities to increase production capacity to 120,000 b/d of oil on completion of the first phase, according to a statement by Wood.
READ THE MAY 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFGlobal energy sector forced to recalibrate; Conflict hits debt issuance and listings activity; UAE’s non-oil sector faces unclear recovery period amid disruption.
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the May 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> REGIONAL LNG: War undermines business case for Middle East LNG> CAPITAL MARKETS: Damage avoidance frames debt issuance> MARKET FOCUS: Conflict tests UAE diversificationTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16852654/main.png -
Abu Dhabi selects Yas Island site for $1.7bn Sphere venue
14 May 2026
Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture & Tourism (DCT Abu Dhabi) and US-based Sphere Entertainment have selected Yas Island as the location for the $1.7bn Sphere Abu Dhabi project.
The venue will be built on a plot between Yas Mall and SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, close to Yas Island’s theme parks and attractions. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2029. Dubai-listed Alec is understood to be the selected contractor and has been working on the project’s pre-construction phase.
The project will be the first Sphere venue outside the US. It is expected to echo the scale of Sphere Las Vegas, with a capacity of up to 20,000 depending on configuration.
DCT Abu Dhabi said it will coordinate enabling and infrastructure works with Abu Dhabi entities, including the Department of Municipalities & Transport and its Integrated Transport Centre, the Department of Energy, Taqa, Etihad Rail and Aldar. The scope includes road enhancements, site access and site-wide infrastructure integrated with surrounding Yas Island assets.
Sphere Abu Dhabi is the latest addition to Abu Dhabi’s integrated tourism and destination-development pipeline on Yas Island, alongside major attractions and the Disney theme park resort that was announced in 2025.
DCT and Sphere Entertainment finalised an agreement last year related to the construction, development and operation of the Sphere entertainment venue in Abu Dhabi. According to the agreement, Sphere Entertainment granted DCT the exclusive rights to build and operate the Sphere Abu Dhabi entertainment venue.
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16837302/main.gif