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Ammonia production has started at a facility developed by state-owned OQ in Oman's Dhofar.  Asian markets are a key export target.

GSN Risk Grade - B3. Hydrogen developments: The government is among those that have seen an opportunity to be an early mover in the potentially huge global hydrogen economy.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), Masdar and energy major BP are to develop clean hydrogen and technology hubs in a three-way partnership deal .

Oman’s Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (Madayan) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with New York-based H2 Industries to develop a $1.4bn waste-to-hydrogen plant at an unspecified coastal location.

Oman's Ministry of Energy and Minerals has invited bids on four mining blocks for potash and associated commodities.

International manufacturers Lucid and BMW are planning Saudi Arabia’s first electric vehicle factories, working with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS)’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). Lucid says an attractive business environment and financing made the case for basing in the kingdom. But as the PIF seeks to take a tighter grip on the private sector, from foreign investments to major family businesses, investments may depend on companies feeling comfortable with the degree of autonomy offered by the PIF and orientations based on MBS’ hands-on, rents-gathering approach.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and Austria’s Borealis are considering a potential initial public offering of a minority stake in their plastics joint venture Borouge.

Industry and mineral resources minister Bandar Al-Khorayef entered government in 2019 as head of the newly formed Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, which was created when the three-year-old Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources was split apart

Saudi ministers and private sector executives talked up plans to develop the kingdom’s mining sector and diversify the economy at the inaugural Future Minerals Summit (FMS), held in Riyadh on 11-13 January, hosted by industry and mineral resources minister Bandar Al-Khorayef

GCC governments are pursuing different strategies to tackle climate change but, in most cases, their PR-laden statements leave them open to charges of ‘greenwashing’, given that major oil and gas producers insist on the right to continue pumping ever more hydrocarbons out of the ground.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, host of the 26th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26), is rarely short of a pithy quip aimed at his support base. Indeed, whole policies have been woven around his notion that the UK electorate can “have its cake and eat it”, however misleading that may be. Johnson’s allies – and even his critics – in the Gulf’s oil and gas producing states would appreciate that sentiment as they emerge from the climate talks, due to end on 12 November.

Petrochemicals sector officials and executives have been given jail terms of between five and 20 years for their role in a $7.9bn embezzlement case. Six former officials at Petrochemical Commercial Company – named in media reports as chief executive Reza Hamzeh-Lou, assistant chief executive Abbas Samimi Naeb, commercial director Mohsen Ahmadian, board members Alireza Alaei Rahmani and Mostafa Tehrani, and Marjan Shaykh-ol-Eslami – were sentenced to 20 years and 74 lashes and will have to repay the money they received.

Officials are adamant the sale and leasing of assets, and a steady flow of huge bond issues, are not being done to maintain Aramco’s $75bn annual dividend – and major new investments are planned that will need funding – but the oil giant is clearly under pressure to maintain its position as the state’s cash-cow.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) has signed an agreement with India’s Reliance Industries to develop a world-scale chloralkali (used in water treatment and the manufacture of textiles and metals), ethylene dichloride and PVC production facility at Ruwais.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) is claiming considerable success for its rollout of free charging to non-commercial electric vehicles in the emirate, following the launch of its EV Green Charger initiative. It has established a network of 300 charging stations as part of the Dubai Green Mobile Strategy 2030, under which customers registered with the EV initiative can charge their vehicles by scanning a QR code or by using a card.