meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Rolls-Royce charts net-zero path

26 October 2023

UK-headquartered Rolls-Royce aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions from its operations and facilities, excluding product testing and development, by 2030.

This entails building energy-efficient facilities and a significant reduction in energy consumption and waste sent to landfills.

Meeting its long-term sustainable target will inevitably require facilitating its customers – which range from aircraft and transport operators to utilities – meet theirs.

“We have a long history of bringing to market ever more efficient technologies in aviation, transport and mobility and nuclear power generation,” says John Kelly, Rolls-Royce’s president for the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa (Meta) region. “These sectors being hard-to-abate or decarbonise does not stop us [from pursuing energy efficient solutions].”

Sustainable jet fuel

The company recognises that the adoption of sustainable aviation fuel (saf) and other synthetic fuels produced in a non-carbon-generative process, among other technologies, will play a key role in decarbonising the aviation sector.

Kelly says Rolls-Royce continues to work on and invest in more efficient gas turbine jet engines, such as the UltraFan, a demonstrator aero engine that is designed to burn 25 per cent less fuel compared to the first generation of its Trent jet engine.

UltraFan can be used for narrowbody and widebody aircraft that may be developed from the 2030s. It will also be ready to run on saf from day one of service.

“Regulations and enabling factors are key to reducing the carbon footprint of jet engines,” says Kelly.

Related read: Emirates and Shell Aviation sign sustainable fuel deal

It is understood that Rolls-Royce's ongoing research and tests drawn from initiatives such as its UltraFan programme will also contribute towards improving the efficiency of aircraft fleets and operators.

“We do not produce saf, but we work with partners and regulators and fuel offtakers to look for ways to improve its commercial viability.

“We have tested commercial and business aircraft limit of 50 per cent saf, and established that we can operate a flight safely using 50 per cent saf.  We are also pushing to get to 100 per cent, which should lead to increased offtake of saf in future,” says Kelly.

The key issues today for saf, as well as other synthetic fuels, include price point, availability and competitiveness compared to conventional jet fuel.

“The key is to scale up not just saf but other synthetic fuels from manufactured chemicals, or fuels that are produced in a non-carbon-generative way," the executive explains. "This requires regulations and government incentives in line with net-zero targets. It also requires ongoing dialogues, as this obviously has a political angle."

Kelly says events like the upcoming Cop28 climate summit and the airshow in Dubai can foster an environment that allows these dialogues and conversations to advance.

Hydrogen fuel

Beyond retrofits and the development of energy-efficient jet engines, Rolls-Royce is also looking at other alternative technologies, such as hydrogen both as a direct fuel source for aircraft as well as for the electrification of transport.

“We have conducted ground tests on engines using hydrogen as a direct fuel source with excellent results. Electrification in airport shuttles and mobility also offers opportunities, leading to shorter commute time or minimising traffic and reducing or eliminating fossil fuel requirement,” explains Kelly.

Air taxis are another area of opportunity, with air taxi engines being tested today.

Kelly reiterates the need for ongoing dialogues with the region’s sovereign wealth funds and regulators, among others, about how existing products across its business can be improved.

“Technology is a route to decarbonise. We have a range of solutions that will be available at different times as we get to net-zero… these solutions offer potential incremental benefits to users and customers.”

New nuclear

Small modular reactors (SMR), or the so-called 'new nuclear', is another non-carbon power resource that Rolls-Royce has up its sleeve.

“We have products that can produce 470MW of electricity, which is another option for a non-carbon power source,” says Kelly. 

“On one hand, we try to help enable synthetic fuels for aviation, on the other we also have SMR that helps enable synthetic fuels or enable utility companies and electricity grids to produce non-carbon power.”

While Rolls-Royce supports the development of wind and solar energy, both require tremendous amounts of cement and steel and using SMRs can help alleviate the carbon intensity of these materials and technologies.

“SMRs help scale up synthetic fuel production in a non-carbon-generative way,” says Kelly.

With at least two to three jurisdictions in the Middle East and North Africa region looking at SMRs, Kelly confirms ongoing discussions with those countries.

Related read: Small reactors top nuclear agenda

The confluence of significant growth and the drive to achieve long-term economic programmes such as Saudi Vision 2030, which in turn places a strong focus on manufacturing and development, means Rolls-Royce is on hand to explore partnerships and potential local production for relevant products or technologies.

“We are here to partner…  the Rolls-Royce vision is to enable local development and to be able to manufacture globally and foster a global supply chain,” he concludes.

Photos: Rolls-Royce

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/11241190/main4813.jpg
Jennifer Aguinaldo

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Solar deals signal Saudi Arabia’s energy ambitions

    13 February 2026

    Commentary
    Mark Dowdall
    Power & water editor

    Saudi Arabia’s recent agreement to build $2bn-worth of solar power plants in Turkiye is the latest sign that the kingdom’s energy influence is changing.

    Historically, this was measured in oil barrels and export volumes. Increasingly, this is extending to capital, structuring expertise and the ability to deliver record-low tariffs in competitive markets.

    Announcing the deal, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said tariffs for the plants would be the country’s lowest on record, with electricity purchased under 25-year power purchase agreements.

    It followed another announcement, in January, that Acwa is investing $200m to build a large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in the Philippines.

    Whether Saudi-backed companies ultimately retain long-term stakes or primarily develop and build the assets, their role at the front end is significant.

    Sponsors that bring sovereign backing, clear procurement processes and access to low-cost financing can influence tariffs and contract terms from the outset.

    There is also a geopolitical layer. Investing in Turkiye, or anywhere for that matter, strengthens political and economic ties at a time when regional alignments are shifting.

    Energy infrastructure is also long-term by its nature. It connects ministries, regulators, lenders and operators in relationships that often extend well beyond a single transaction.

    Saudi Arabia has spent the past few years refining its approach to pricing, structuring and financing large-scale renewables at home.

    Exporting that expertise may not rival oil in scale or visibility, but it does signal that Saudi Arabia is becoming more than just an energy supplier.

    Increasingly, it is becoming a participant in how other countries design and finance their energy transitions. That influence is still significant.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15645903/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Saudi Arabia appoints new investment minister

    13 February 2026

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud has made a series of senior government changes, including Khalid Al-Falih leaving his role as investment minister to become minister of state and a member of the cabinet.

    Al-Falih has been replaced by Fahad Al-Saif as investment minister. Al-Saif has been head of the Investment Strategy and Economic Insights Division at the Public Investment Fund (PIF) since 2024. That role involved formulating PIF’s long-term investment strategy. He has also served as head of the Global Capital Finance Division, a role he has held since joining PIF in 2021.

    The change of investment minister comes at a time when securing investments has become a key priority for Saudi Arabia as it prepares to hand over more projects to the private sector for delivery.

    King Salman also named Abdullah Al-Maghlouth as vice-minister of media and Abdulmohsen Al-Mazyad as vice-minister of tourism. Khalid Al-Yousef was named attorney general, and Sheikh Ali Al-Ahaideb will serve as president of the Board of Grievances.

    Faihan Al-Sahli was selected as director general of the General Directorate of Investigation, while Abdulaziz Al-Arifi was chosen to lead the National Development Fund. Haytham Al-Ohali will head the Communications, Space and Technology Commission, and Fawaz Al-Sahli will chair the Transport General Authority.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15645415/main.gif
    Colin Foreman
  • Indian firm wins major Oman substation contract

    12 February 2026

     

    India’s Larsen & Toubro has won a contract to build the Majan 400/220/132kV grid station in Oman.

    Estimated to cost $100m, the project includes an associated 400kV line-in line-out underground cable from Sohar Free Zone to the Sohar Interconnector Station.

    The contract was awarded by Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC), part of the government-owned Nama Group.

    The grid station will comprise eight 400kV gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) bays, eight 220kV GIS bays and 10 132kV GIS bays at the new Sohar Free Zone substation.

    The scope includes the installation of two 500MVA, 400/220kV transformers and two 500MVA, 220/132kV transformers.

    Local firm Monenco Consulting Engineers was appointed in April last year to provide design and supervision services for the project.

    As MEED exclusively revealed, the main contract was tendered in June, as part of three significant contracts to build new substations in the sultanate.

    The second contract, worth about $35m, covers the construction of the Sultan Haitham City 132/33kV grid station and associated 132kV line-in line-out underground cables running 4 kilometres from Mabella to Mabella Industrial Zone.

    The third contract, valued at about $100m, covers the construction of the Surab 400/33kV grid station and an associated 400kV line-in line-out cable from the Duqm grid station to the Mahout grid station. 

    Local firms Muscat Engineering Consulting and Hamed Engineering Services are consultants for the Sultan Haitham City and Surab projects, respectively.

    The two remaining contracts are currently under bid evaluation, with awards expected this quarter.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15638107/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Developers appoint contractor for $500m wastewater treatment project

    12 February 2026

     

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Egypt’s Orascom Construction has won the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for a major wastewater treatment project in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.

    A consortium of Saudi utilities provider Marafiq, the regional business of France’s Veolia and Bahrain/Saudi Arabia-based Lamar Holding is developing the $500m (SR1.875bn) industrial wastewater treatment plant (IWWTP) in Jubail Industrial City 2.

    Sources close to the project confirmed the appointment to MEED, adding that the project has now entered the construction phase.

    Industry sources also said that financial close on the project is expected to be reached in the coming days.

    In September, the developer consortium was awarded a contract, under a 30-year concession agreement, by Saudi Aramco Total Refining & Petrochemical Company (Satorp), a joint venture of Saudi Aramco and France’s TotalEnergies.

    The planned facility will treat and recycle wastewater from Satorp’s under-construction Amiral chemical derivatives complex, also in Jubail.

    Marafiq, formally Power & Water Utility Company for Jubail and Yanbu, will own a 40% stake in the dedicated project company. Veolia Middle East SAS will hold a 35% stake, and Lamar Holding’s Lamar Arabia for Energy will hold the other 25%.

    The planned IWWTP, which will primarily serve the $11bn sprawling Amiral chemicals zone, will implement advanced water treatment and recovery technologies to process complex industrial effluents, including spent caustic streams. Treated water will be reintegrated into the industrial processes, supporting closed-loop reuse and energy efficiency.

    The project follows a concession-style model, akin to a public-private partnership (PPP), where the developer consortium invests in, builds and operates the wastewater plant over a 30-year period, with returns linked to service delivery.

    Marafiq has been involved in several similar projects across Saudi Arabia, including as the sole owner of the Jubail industrial water treatment plant (IWTP8), which treats complex industrial effluents for petrochemical and heavy industrial companies.

    In 2020, Saudi Services for Electro Mechanic Works was awarded the $202m main contract for the fourth expansion phase of IWTP8. Construction works on the project are expected to be completed by the end of the quarter.

    READ THE FEBRUARY 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    Spending on oil and gas production surges; Doha’s efforts support extraordinary growth in 2026; Water sector regains momentum in 2025.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the February 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15637523/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Dewa raises Empower stake in $1.41bn deal

    12 February 2026

    Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa) has announced it has increased its stake in Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower) from 56% to 80%.

    The transaction was completed through the purchase of 2.4 billion shares and the transfer of the entire ownership of Emirates Power Investment (EPI), which is wholly owned by Dubai Holding.

    The total value of the deal is AED5.184bn ($1.41bn).

    Empower currently holds over 80% of Dubai’s district cooling market and operates 88 district cooling plants across the emirate.

    According to MEED Projects, the UAE’s district cooling sector currently has nine projects worth $1.29bn in the pre-execution phase.

    Empower has ownership in four of these projects, which have a combined value of $472m.

    This includes a $200 million district cooling plant at Dubai Science Park, with a total capacity of 47,000 refrigeration tonnes serving 80 buildings.

    Empower signed a contract to design the plant last August, with construction scheduled to begin by the end of the first quarter of 2026.

    The utility is also building a district cooling plant at Dubai Internet City.

    UAE-based TMF Euro Foundations was recently appointed as the enabling and piling subcontractor for the project.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15635949/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall