Israel to open office for renewable energy in Abu Dhabi – Al Jazeera UAE says opening “does not represent any change in position” between the nations which do not have diplomatic relations. Ali Younes | 27 Nov 2015 Israel is to open its first ever official and visible presence in Abu Dhabi, the capital of […]

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Climate Change and the Geopolitics of Water and Energy Challenges and Opportunities in the Levant EcoPeace Middle East, the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), cordially invite you to a conference on “Climate Change and the Geopolitics of Water and Energy Challenges and Opportunities in the Levant.” The conference will […]

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Op-ed: Peace will ultimately be made by courageous visionary leaders, but until that happens, the role of peace-building NGOs is to restore trust between Israelis and Palestinians and build mutually beneficial and interdependent relationships. David Lehrer 11.27.15 On the evening of the second day of Operation Cast Lead in 2008, 40 students of the Arava […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 11/29/2015 Adam Teva V’Din executive director Amit Bracha writes to French Foreign Affairs and International Development Minister Laurent Fabius. In a strongly worded letter to the head of the upcoming United Nations climate convention, Adam Teva V’Din (Israel Union for Environmental Defense) on Sunday slammed Israel’s greenhouse gas reduction plans as little […]

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By Mohammad Ghazal – Nov 29,2015 AMMAN — Jordan is scheduled to conduct an experiment in cooperation with Thai experts to make artificial rain in the vicinity of King Talal Dam in early 2016 as part of efforts to increase precipitation in the Kingdom, according to Mohammad Samawi, director general of the Jordan Meteorological Department […]

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Egypt’s Electricity and Renewable Energy Minister Mohamed Shaker opened an EU-funded wind turbine station for electricity production at a total cost of 270 million euros on Sunday. A statement by the ministry said the plant, implemented over 30 months at Zeit Bay in the Red Sea, is the biggest in the Middle East region, adding […]

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By Muath Freij – Nov 28,2015 New amendments to the Agriculture Law seek to curb the trend of illegal logging and violations in forests (Petra photo) AMMAN — A 24/7 hotline newly established by the Ministry of Agriculture has started receiving phone calls from individuals providing information on forest violations, a ministry official said on […]

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Five years after massive fire left many dunams of woodland scorched, efforts are ongoing to restore the forest, and consideration is also given to preventing a similar disaster by lowering the density of trees. Ahiya Raved 11.29.15 Some five years after the massive fire that claimed the lives of 44 people and left many dunams […]

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The fanack website contains much clear and detailed information on the Middle East, including pages on water and energy and a special section in water on the red sea – dead sea project (see links below) from their “about us”: Fanack is an independent online media organization committed to publishing and disseminating balanced and informed […]

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MOHAMED EL-ASHRY 16/11/2015 Dr. Mohamed El-Ashry, Senior Fellow at UN Foundation and Vice Chairman of AFED’s Executive Committee, prepared this overview on the status of climate change negotiations for AFED team participating in the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP 21), which opens in Paris end November. The notes were used as talking points at […]

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AFP, Cairo Thursday, 19 November 2015 Russia signed two agreements Thursday to finance and build Egypt’s first nuclear power plant, in a ceremony attended by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Sergei Kirienko, director general of Russian atomic energy agency Rosatom, said the agreement is for the construction and operation of four 1,200 MW reactors, making the […]

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Paddy Padmanathan 19/11/2015 In March 2015, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with a consortium of ACWA Power and TSK for a 200 MW net solar photo-voltaic (PV), under Phase II of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the Middle East’s largest renewable energy park. The […]

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Natural gas field, which is expected to begin production in 3-4 years, will supply Egypt’s Dolphinus with up to 4 billion cubic meters of gas a year for 10 to 15 years. Reuters 11.26.15 Natural gas from Israel’s vast Leviathan offshore gas field will be pumped to Egypt via an existing subsea pipeline for up […]

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Speaker Nabih Berri received on Thursday a message from the Lebanese Petroleum Association that Lebanon’s offshore oil wealth is under threat from Israel, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Friday. It said: “Lebanon’s wealth is under real threat from Israel due to its excessive actions in stealing its oil.” Lebanese authorities had received information that Israel had […]

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RIYADH — Saudi Arabia may reduce energy and water subsidies for wealthy citizens among other reforms to diversify its economy away from oil amid a sustained fall in prices, its Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman was quoted as saying on Wednesday. His interview with The New York Times also appeared to suggest he could […]

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24/11/2015 A giant plant using energy from the Sun to power a Moroccan city at night will open next month. The solar thermal plant at Ouarzazate will harness the Sun’s warmth to melt salt, which will hold its heat to power a steam turbine in the evening. The first phase will generate for three hours […]

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AFP Monday, 23 November 2015 Rising from the desert outside Abu Dhabi, Masdar city is laying the groundwork for when the United Arab Emirates’ oil wells run dry. Driverless electric cars shuttle between energy-saving buildings topped with arrays of solar panels. Traditional Arabic architecture mixes with modern technology, as narrow shaded alleys run between brick-coloured […]

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By Mohammad Ghazal – Nov 25,2015 AMMAN — Investments in the country’s renewable energy sector exceed JD1 billion at present and are expected to increase significantly in the next few years as more projects are in the pipeline, according to investment and energy officials. Renewable energy is “one of the most attractive and rapidly growing […]

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On Our Doorstep – the Gaza Water and Energy Crisis, Scenarios November 12, 2015 As part of the Haaretz Peace Conference held today (Nov 12) in Tel Aviv, EcoPeace Middle East and the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) held a high level panel on the water, sanitation and energy crisis in Gaza and its […]

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A major international climate conference in Paris will move forward later this month, and President Obama is still slated to attend, despite a series of attacks in the city Friday. An administration official confirmed Saturday that Obama is still planning on going to Paris later this month to attend early sessions of the United Nations […]

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