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Pressure builds for truce in Gaza conflict

9 February 2024

Pressure is mounting on Israel to accede to a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange agreement after a visit to the region by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and amid ongoing negotiations between the warring parties under Egyptian and Qatari mediation.

Blinken’s visit focused on nudging Israel towards some sort of ceasefire agreement that would see the release of the hostages, but the US overture was again rebuffed by the Netanyahu government, which continues to bristle at the prospect of a truce.

As if in reaction to the pressure, the Israeli side has ratcheted up its own rhetoric again in the past week. It has asserted that its goal remains the complete dismantling of Hamas, and announced that it would launch a military operation in Rafah, the Egypt-Gaza border crossing area and a designated safe zone.

Nevertheless, there is dwindling political space, both internationally and domestically, for the Israeli government to manoeuvre away from a truce. Even Israel’s allies are tiring of the conflict and anger is building in Israel over the failure to secure the return of the hostages.

For more neutral parties around the world, the indictment of Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for plausibly committing crimes amounting to genocide has doubled up the existing risk of complicity with war crimes with the risk of complicity with genocide.

The case has changed the calculus for governments and companies with ties to Israel. It has already led to counteractions, including the suspension of export licences by the government of the Belgian province of Wallonia – in addition to an existing arms suspension by Spain.

In Japan, major arms manufacturer Itochu announced that its aviation arm would end its collaboration with Israel’s largest weapons company, Elbit Systems, citing the ICJ ruling, Japan’s respect for the court, and its obligation to avoid complicity.

Mismatched expectations

Back at the negotiating table, Hamas has itself increased the pressure on Israel by establishing its own amenability to a ceasefire and hostage release – suggesting a three-phased release of Israeli hostages on one side and Palestinian prisoners and administration detainees on the other side.

Each phase would last 45 days, for a total term of 135 days, with the first phase focusing on the release of detained Israeli women, children, elderly and the sick in exchange for 1,500 Palestinian detainees.

The second phase would then see male detainees released, followed by the bodies of those killed in the fighting or during the siege and bombardment of the Gaza Strip in the third phase.

Hamas also stated the requirement that at least 500 trucks of aid and fuel be allowed into the Gaza Strip daily, that residents have freedom of movement, and that border crossings be opened.

The Hamas deal outline also contained requirements unlikely to appeal to the Israeli government. These include the requirement that 60,000 temporary homes and 300,000 tents be let into the strip and that Israel commit to rebuilding the destroyed infrastructure within three years.

The demand not just for the delivery of humanitarian aid – as already obliged to be provided under international law and as reiterated by the ICJ – but for actual material assistance appears almost fantastical given the fanatical tilt of much of Netanyahu’s far-right cabinet.

Pressure from all sides

The Israeli government’s immediate response to Hamas’ outline was one of dismissal and pushback. While this was expected, there remains considerable momentum behind the scenes for some sort of a deal under the multilateral negotiations in Egypt.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chosen response was to state off camera that Israel would not end the war but push on to “total victory” over Hamas. Yet behind the bluster of this reaction, the news was floated that Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency was studying the terms.

Meanwhile, those close to the deal remain optimistic about a positive outcome in another one to two weeks. Such a timescale would also benefit Israel by allowing it to present the deal as proof of progress under the ICJ provisional measures that it is required to report on at the end of the month.

The other deadline is the start of Ramadan on 9 March, when Muslims around the globe are bound by faith to pay particular attention to those less fortunate around them. The optics for Israel, and in turn for the US, will be disastrous if the unfettered killing continues in this period.

In his pre-departure remarks, Blinken reiterated the US position that Palestinian civilian casualties in Gaza were too high and affirmed that there was “space” for a potential truce agreement in a clear contradiction of Netanyahu’s messaging.

This repudiation of the Israeli position has become part of a discernible pattern of commentary from the US establishment in recent days that gives the appearance that Washington is increasingly interested in distancing itself from the Israeli government.

After four months of unconditional support for Israel, and amid flagging US presidential polling numbers in connection with the ongoing violence, a recalibration is under way – with Joe Biden late on 8 February declaring Israel’s actions “over the top”.

Former US secretary of state and Democrat insider Hillary Clinton was also interviewed in a move that appears highly choreographed to blame Netanyahu for failing the hostages while labelling him “not trustworthy” and calling for him to leave office.

The upshot of all this is that despite the resistance to a deal from the Israeli government, external and internal pressure is now reaching the point where resisting a ceasefire is incurring an exorbitant political cost – one that even Netanyahu may find himself unable to pay.

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John Bambridge

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    26 February 2026

     

    Al-Kamil power plant, a 280MW, gas-fired power plant in the Sharqiya region of Oman, was recently decommissioned following nearly 20 years of operations as the country’s second independent power plant.

    The plant reached commercial operation in 2002, at which time it started to supply electricity to Nama Power & Water Procurement Company under a 15-year power purchase agreement that was later extended to the end of 2021. No further extension was granted so, in 2022, the decommissioning process was initiated.

    Al-Kamil power plant was one of the first privately owned power plants in Oman to be decommissioned. The entire process took significantly longer than planned – three years compared to an initial target of 12 months. This was not unexpected, however, as there were not yet any standard processes to follow. Everything was being done for the first time, and proper procedures had to be established.

    Starting decommissioning 

    The decommissioning of a power plant is a complex process and can take as much time to complete as it takes to build a plant. It involves environmental considerations, health and safety protocols, detailed surveys, de-energisation, dismantling, demolition, waste management and the segregation and storage of secondary valuables. 

    Careful planning and management are essential to ensure that decommissioning is accomplished safely, cost-effectively and in accordance with all government environmental standards.

    Consulting on the decommissioning of Al-Kamil were Dubai’s Golden Sands Marketing Consulting (GSMC), appointed in 2021, alongside Abu Dhabi’s Sustainable Water & Power Company (SWPC) and Dubai’s Tractebel Engineering Company (TEC).

    One of the first steps that GSMC undertook was to prepare a master plan covering the entire decommissioning process (see right).

    A site investigation was undertaken by GSMC and SWPC early in the process to determine the condition of the power assets and the overall site. 

    The Al-Kamil power plant was found to have been well maintained, with no major health, safety, security and environment (HSSE) issues.

    SWPC prepared the dismantling guidelines covering all plant equipment, and these were reviewed by TEC. The guidelines covered three main phases: the shut down and isolation of all assets; the de-
    energisation process; and the dismantling of the plant equipment, its removal from site and the demolition of all remaining civil works.

    GSMC designed a sales strategy for the plant equipment, taking into consideration the secondary market for power-related equipment, as well as the scrap market in Oman. A competitive procurement process was also followed in an effort to maximise sales revenues from plant equipment.

    A separate tender was issued to appoint a demolition contractor to remove the remaining civil works, and once this work was complete, a local environmental engineering company undertook a final environmental report to demonstrate that the site was properly cleared and ready for handover to the original owner, the Housing & Urban Planning Ministry.

    Final results

    The decommissioning project went well in terms of HSSE considerations, with no fatalities, no lost-time injuries and no first aid injuries over the more than 243,000 total workhours at the site. 

    There were no material environmental spills or incidents to report, and all above- and below-ground structures were demolished and safely removed from the site in accordance with local requirements. 

    The final environmental report, completed just before handover, showed that the site was effectively in the same condition as it was when originally taken over at the start of construction.

    The decommissioning was also successful from a financial perspective, as revenues from the sale of plant equipment and diesel fuel were beyond what was required to cover the costs associated with the decommissioning process. 

    Lessons learnt 

    Many lessons were learnt during the process that can benefit future power plant decommissioning efforts in the region.

    > Notify key stakeholders early: Key stakeholders are those that have a vested interest in the project, either through ownership of certain assets on site, such as grid connection assets, or via regulation, such as the environmental authority. Many of these stakeholders take time to respond, so notifying key stakeholders early in the process can ensure that unnecessary delays are avoided.

    > Prioritise HSSE: For any future decommissioning project, HSSE must be a top priority, and this should be the focus throughout the entire decommissioning process – at all levels of work and management. 

    The site manager at Al-Kamil installed a 24/7 closed-circuit television camera, which proved to be extremely effective in terms of monitoring progress and identifying potential HSSE issues before they became an incident. This simple and cost-effective practice should be replicated for all future decommissioning projects.

    > Appoint the environmental consultant early in the process: It is advisable to appoint an environmental consultant early in the process. The consultant is needed to coordinate activities with the local environmental authority and obtain a no-objection letter or certificate, complete an environmental management report and an update of the environmental impact assessment, which includes an environmental baseline.

    Ideally, these reports and environmental authority approvals should be completed well before any work is under way at the site. This information is also useful to potential bidders for the sale of equipment, or to contractors involved in the dismantling and demolition process.

    > Submit an environmental management plan for approval: It is unlikely that any environmental authority will provide a no-objection letter or certificate without reviewing the environmental plan. It is therefore necessary to complete the plan early, prior to informing the environmental authority. This can minimise potential delays in starting the decommissioning process. 

    As a general practice, an environmental consultant should be brought on board early in the process, ideally once the overall master plan is approved by the company.

    > Establish a proactive steering committee: This was done at Al-Kamil and proved to be effective when it came to overseeing project progress and dealing with issues as they arose. Certain members of the steering committee visited the site regularly and undertook spot HSSE inspections.

    At Al-Kamil, the overall decommissioning was relatively straightforward as the plant was in a remote area. However, decommissioning a power plant in a busier location, or when part of the power plant remains in operation, is more challenging. Under these circumstances, a steering committee is vital. 

    > Set realistic delivery and completion timelines: Decommissioning a power plant is a complex process. The initial timeline to complete the process for Al-Kamil was one year, which was the best estimate at the time as there were no benchmarks or references in Oman. However, the actual completion time turned out to be three years – longer than the approximately 2.5 years it took to build the plant, from the start of construction in early 2001 to full commercial operation in July 2003.

    Realistic delivery dates should be set for contractors, suppliers and others involved in the decommissioning process. This is likely to result in better pricing, as bidders tend to factor in higher contingencies with shorter or fast-track delivery dates. More realistic delivery dates also help management to allocate staff resources and manage the decommissioning budget. 

    Finally, realistic delivery dates help to manage owner and shareholder expectations regarding project completion.

    Given the experience with Al-Kamil, a reasonable decommissioning timeline for a power plant is probably close to the actual construction timeline for the plant involved.

    > Allow time to maximise revenues from the sale of assets: The market value for Al-Kamil’s power assets was estimated at a value significantly higher than the prevailing scrap value. This was based in part on the value of similar gas turbine units, after adjusting for age, usage and other factors that affect the net market value. However, the company realised a much lower value, even after retendering the equipment sales in an effort to get a better price.

    It appears that prices close to the market rate are only achievable if there is time to find a suitable buyer. This can take many months or even years – typically a longer time than the owners of power plants wish to take. 

    Moreover, as renewables continue to penetrate the market, there is less worldwide demand for used gas turbine units. Prevailing market supply and demand conditions also have a bearing on the sale price for secondary equipment, and this factor needs to be considered.

    If time is of the essence, then power plant owners need to accept the fact that the expected revenues will likely be on the low side, although still higher than the scrap value of the assets. 

    Main image: Picture 1: Al-Kamil power plant as constructed; Picture 2: Post decommissioning 

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15780944/main.gif
  • Abu Dhabi’s Enersol charts acquisitions path

    26 February 2026

     

    With about half of its $1.5bn seed capital still available to deploy, Abu Dhabi- based oil and gas drilling services firm Enersol is firmly on a growth trajectory driven by acquisitions. Since its establishment in November 2023 as a 51:49 joint venture of Adnoc Drilling – a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc Group) – and holding company Alpha Dhabi, Enersol has pursued inorganic growth as its core expansion strategy.

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    “The unifying theme that we want to focus on is around the production side of what we call the well lifecycle. Why is that important? For investors it is super important because that’s where we get to the opex [operating expenditure] side, moving away from capex [capital expenditure], achieving completions and recurring revenues. So, with the potential target acquisitions, that’s where we’re focused on,” Watson explains.

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    “We have a lot of dry powder to spend. We have identified targets that we want to go after. We are pursuing a few targets,” Watson says, without revealing details. “With the targets we are after, we want to make sure that they’ve got a presence here in the UAE and Mena. We’re also looking for a global footprint.”

    Completed acquisitions 

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    In August of the same year, Enersol started a transaction to fully acquire US-headquartered EV Holdings Limited, paying $45m to UK-based private equity firm Dunedin for 100% of the company’s shares.

    EV Holdings has a significant technology portfolio, with more than 100 pieces of intellectual property, primarily patents. It is a highly technical company that generates vast amounts of data, Watson explains.

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    In November 2024, Enersol entered into a $223m deal to acquire a 95% equity stake in US-based Deep Well Services (DWS). 

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    We have a lot of dry powder to spend. We have identified targets that we want to go after. We are pursuing a few targets
    Dean Watson, Enersol

    Securing contracts

    Enersol is seeking to leverage the suite of capabilities and technologies it has acquired to secure oil field services contracts in the UAE and the wider regional market, Watson says.

    “We’re very excited about being part of the Adnoc ecosystem. Gordon Technologies, through Turnwell, has just completed its first batch of wells and is currently working on the Turnwell project,” the Enersol CEO says, adding: “Gordon is the MWD provider on that project.”

    Adnoc Drilling signed a term sheet in 2024 to enter into a partnership with the Middle East arm of US oil field services provider SLB and US firm Patterson-UTI International Holdings to form a new company called Turnwell Industries.

    In May of that year, Adnoc Drilling was awarded a major contract, worth about $1.7bn, by its parent Adnoc Group, to provide drilling and associated services for the recovery of unconventional oil and gas resources. Work on this contract is being executed by Turnwell. The broad scope of work on the contract covers drilling and appraisal of 144 unconventional oil and gas wells.

    Separately, DWS won its first contract from Malaysia’s state energy company Petronas last November for deploying its hydraulic completion units and BoreSite systems to support a 12-well unconventional programme in Abu Dhabi.

    Watson is optimistic about Enersol securing additional work in Abu Dhabi from Adnoc Drilling. Beyond its home market, the company is “in active discussions and negotiations with our Saudi joint-venture partner on a major scope of work with Saudi Aramco,” he says.

    Enersol’s growing portfolio and its push to secure contracts across the region also place the company in competition with established oil field services majors. On that subject, Watson concludes: “I believe our offering is unique and does not necessarily compete directly with companies such as SLB or Weatherford. 

    “We will identify a niche that fits between the major players and deliver parallel value through our differentiated offering.” 

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    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

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    The scheme is linked to the deep sewerage tunnels infrastructure programme being implemented by the municipality’s sewerage and recycled water projects department.

    As MEED understands, the Warsan STP had previously been expected to be procured as a public-private partnership (PPP) scheme.

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    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15765751/main.jpg
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  • Algeria gives bidders more time for 1.2GW plant

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    Algeria’s state-owned electricity and gas utility Sonelgaz has extended the bid submission deadline for a contract to build a 1,200MW combined-cycle gas-fired power plant in Adrar.

    The project is being procured through Sonelgaz’s power generation subsidiary, Societe Algerienne de l’Electricite et du Gaz – Production de l’Electricite (SPE).

    The new bid submission deadline is 29 April. The main contract was first tendered in April last year, and the deadline has been extended several times since.

    The latest deadline was 26 February.

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    Algeria’s wider power sector has experienced periods of limited contract activity in recent years. Between 2018 and 2022, virtually no new solar or wind farm contracts were awarded, according to available data from the regional projects tracker MEED Projects.

    In 2023, Sonelgaz Energie Renouvelables, a subsidiary of Algeria’s state-owned utility, awarded 14 of the 15 solar photovoltaic (PV) packages it tendered that year.

    At the time, MEED reported that the 15 packages had a total combined capacity of 2,000MW, requiring at least AD172bn ($1.2bn) of investment.

    However, publicly available data suggests that progress has been slow with several schemes yet to reach full construction or commercial stages.

    Gas-fired combined-cycle plants continue to account for the majority of Algeria’s electricity generation capacity. Data from MEED Projects indicates that more than 5,000MW of oil- and gas-fired power capacity is currently under construction.

    Despite this, new contract awards in 2025 came from three solar schemes.

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    Mark Dowdall