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Mena power generation pipeline reaches 250GW

19 June 2024

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Economic expansion, energy diversification and net-zero targets, along with planned low-carbon hydrogen projects, have pushed the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region's power generation pipeline across all technologies to about 250GW.  

Solar accounts for roughly 45% of the total planned capacity, followed by fossil fuel-fired plants, with a share of about 24%, data from regional projects tracker MEED Projects indicate.

The planned wind capacity is roughly 59GW, which is on par with that expected from mainly gas-fired power plants. Nuclear accounts for the remaining 7.5%.

Saudi Arabia, including Neom, offers the largest potential market, with a pipeline of over 55GW, followed by Morocco (51GW) and Egypt (35GW).

Planned green hydrogen projects in Morocco and Egypt contributed to those states' substantial renewable energy pipelines.

Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Algeria and the UAE also offer major power generation pipelines.

Saudi Arabia leads the region in terms of the solar projects pipeline, with at least 40GW in the planning and procurement stage. Morocco, Egypt, Algeria and the UAE are the next major markets for solar plants. 

Noteworthy is that the early-stage nature of most large-scale renewable energy projects associated with green hydrogen and ammonia schemes, particularly in Egypt and Morocco, means the pipelines in these countries will likely have a longer gestation period than in others.

Similarly, the slow progress in implementing renewable energy projects in countries such as Algeria and Iraq may persist in the foreseeable future, given the need to improve investment frameworks and restructure the energy markets in those jurisdictions.    

Gas-fired power plants are also experiencing a revival following four years of muted growth as many countries prioritised planning and executing renewable energy projects.

All GCC states, except Oman, are procuring or planning to procure substantial gas-fired capacity to boost baseload as more renewable energy capacity comes onstream.

Gas-fired plants  

Despite increasing demand for renewable energy, fossil fuel-fired power generation plants account for roughly 46% of capacity under construction across the Mena region.

Power generation plants that use mainly natural gas as feedstock account for an estimated 45GW of the 99.5GW of power generation capacity under construction across the Mena states.

This includes substantial capacity in Iraq (12GW) and Libya (5.8GW), where the status of some projects, aside from announcements that they have been awarded, cannot be exactly ascertained.

Solar photovoltaic (PV) accounts for approximately 29% of the total capacity under construction, followed by nuclear power plants, with a capacity of 16.5GW. Capacity from Egypt's El-Dabaa nuclear power plant accounts for the lion's share of the region's nuclear power plant capacity.

At 15.5GW, Saudi Arabia has the highest solar PV capacity under construction, followed by the UAE, Oman and Morocco.

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Jennifer Aguinaldo

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