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Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani formally inaugurated Qatar’s second largest power plant on 25 March, The 2.5GW Umm Al-Houl combined cycle gas turbine plant and desalination unit has been built at Al-Wakrah, 15km south of Doha; it will account for close to a quarter of the country’s total installed power generating capacity and provide up to 136m gallons/day of water.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources has invited companies to express interest in seven renewable energy projects with a combined generating capacity of 1.5GW. The ministry issued a request for qualification on 27 February for three small photovoltaic projects, ranging in size from 20MW to 50MW, and four larger projects of 200MW to 600MW.

A report by the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform, released on 19 February, set out claims by a number of whistleblowers that members of United States President Donald Trump’s administration have been working with US firms on plans to transfer highly sensitive nuclear technology to Saud Arabia, in the process bypassing the usual safety conditions and the reviews by Congress required by law.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has issued a request for qualification for the 900MW fifth phase of the giant Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Solar Park on the outskirts of the city. The project is being developed on an independent power project (IPP) model and is due to be commissioned in stages, starting in the second quarter of 2021.

Prime Minister Adil Abdel-Mahdi and his government finding themselves in the uncomfortable position of being caught between the competing interests of two powerful antagonists, as United States pressure intensifies on Baghdad to cut its ties with Iran and hand lucrative business contracts to American bidders. Iran is a vital partner because of its provision of about one-third of Iraq’s electricity requirements. On the other side, a mercantile-minded administration in Washington is looking to secure sizeable business deals in return for offering Baghdad more breathing space as it tries to pivot away from its energy dependence on Iran.

Some $10.5bn worth of deals were announced during the World Future Energy Summit, held in Abu Dhabi in January. Among the most significant was a $500m award to the UAE’s Masdar and France’s EDF to build a 400MW wind farm in northern Saudi Arabia, as part of the kingdom’s efforts to expand its renewable energy capacity to 60GW by 2030.

Energy, industry and mineral resources minister Khalid Bin Abdelaziz Al-Falih led a delegation to the UAE in mid-January to inspect progress at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, in a visit likely to increase speculation that South Korea’s Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) is in prime position to win the contract to develop Saudi Arabia’s nuclear power plants, if and when those plans move forward.

Trade Bank of Iraq, Standard Chartered Bank and General Electric (GE) have finalised a $600m financing agreement to fund the installation of 2GW in generating capacity.

There has been a fresh burst of activity in the region’s renewable energy industries, with projects moving forward in a number of countries that until now have been relatively slow to develop their plans. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have generally led the way in terms of developing large solar power projects – not least with the giant Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai – but the declining cost of the technology is encouraging utility providers in other markets to follow in their wake.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has denied reports that a $200bn investment programme to develop 200GW of solar projects with Japanese investment fund Softbank has run into trouble. A report in The Wall Street Journal on 30 September said work on the scheme had been shelved.

Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) has issued tender documents for a planned 1GW photovoltaic solar power project. The scheme is being offered under an engineering, procurement and construction plus finance contract, with a deadline of 16 December for bids.

Iran and Saudi Arabia have used the 62nd General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which started in Vienna on 17 September, to defend their nuclear programmes while sharply criticising their opponents’ actions. Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran president Ali Akbar Salehi and Saudi energy, industry and mineral resources minister Khalid Al-Falih both spoke on the morning of the conference’s first day, with comments that offer little hope that any compromises might emerge.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has given Riyadh the green light to proceed with plans to develop nuclear power, following a 12-day visit to the kingdom by IAEA officials. Following the trip, IAEA Nuclear Infrastructure Development Section technical lead Jose Bastos said “Saudi Arabia is well placed to finalise its plans for construction of its first nuclear power plant.”

A Kuwaiti tanker carrying 18,000 tonnes of gas arrived at Basra on 23 July, as part of a package of aid by Kuwait to its larger neighbour. The fuel will be used to operate power stations to help deal with an acute electricity shortage in southern Iraq, which has triggered violent popular protests.

Four companies have submitted bids for Saudi Arabia’s first wind power project, a 400MW scheme in Al-Jouf province. They include the local Acwa Power – which won the kingdom’s first solar power project in February, also in Al-Jouf – as well as France’s EDF and Engie and Italy’s Enel. It remains unclear at this stage when the bids will be opened and a winner announced.