Bahrain Steel is building a solar plant: Bahrain Steel is launching three projects worth USD 250 mn to develop its operations in the kingdom, including developing a solar energy plant to power its plants, TradeArabia reported on Thursday. The other two projects will consist of building a roof to cover the iron ore materials area, and allocating an industrial land plot to support the company’s operations. The company is boosting its green portfolio as it also partnered with Essar Group in August to supply the latter’s USD 4.5 bn green steel project in Saudi Arabia with 4 mn tons of iron ore pellets per year.

ALSO FROM BAHRAIN- Bapco Energies joins the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0: Bahrain’sBapco Energies announced yesterday its membership to the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 (OGMP 2.0) — a UN-led reporting framework to monitor emissions of the greenhouse gas — committing to annually report methane emissions from its assets.(Statement)

KSA + China players partner on renewables and BESS localization: Saudi Arabia’s Energy Care Holding, Arabian Transformers Company (ATC), and SEP Fab Plant signed pacts with Chinese firms to localize renewable energy and battery energy storage system technology in the region, Economy Saudi Arabia reported on Thursday. SEP signed an agreement with green energy infrastructure manufacturer Chinese Dongfang Electric, while Energy Care signed an agreement with China’s green tech developer Jiangsu Linyang Energy Company aimed at localizing BESS tech in the kingdom. ATC also inked a pact with smart energy solutions firm Chint Group aimed at localizing high voltage power transformers tech and other electrical industrial products in Saudi Arabia, the company said. The agreements came on the sidelines of the Smart Grids Conference in Riyadh.

KSA is also looking to upskill green energy workforce: The Saudi College of Technology for Selective Services signed a cooperation agreement during the conference with Egypt’s Elsewedy Electric to train KSA’s green energy workforce, and inked another pact with local firm National Batteries Company to help employ local talents in clean power specializations, the news outlet added.

Saudi’s Mowreq + YesHealth start construction on giant vertical farm project: Vertical Farms Company — a JV between Mowreq and YesHealth Group established in 2022 — has broken ground on a giant vertical farm in Riyadh, set to be the largest in the country, according to a statement last week. The project — which is scheduled for operation in the second half of 2024 — will consist of 15 meter-tall, 19-layer towers built on an area of 20k sqm, with a capacity to produce up to 2.2k kgs of leafy greens daily. Produce will include full-size lettuce, cruciferous vegetables, baby leaves, and specialty crops such as edible flowers.

Not the region’s first vertical farm: The UAE’s ReFarm announced earlier this month the construction of a vertical farm that is set to be fully operational by 2026.

UAE’s Zeroe drums up USD 2.2 mn to help businesses track their emissions: UAE carbon management software startup Zeroe secured USD 2.2 mn in a seed funding round, according to a statement. Zeroe’s platform allows companies to measure emissions and report on decarbonization performance. The startup was launched earlier this year.

AND- Dubai wants to transition to e-bikes for delivery services:Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced implementing a new initiative on Thursday to boost the use of electric bikes in the delivery sector. The plan includes establishing charging stations, amending licensing and registration requirements, and developing projects for pilot charging stations to replace electric bicycle batteries. (Wam)

OTHER STORIES WORTH KNOWING ABOUT THIS MORNING-

  • Ewec boosts energy modelling and forecasting: The Emirates Water and Electricity Company (Ewec) signed an MoU with software provider for the energy and water sectors Energy Exemplar on Thursday to expand its climate forecasting and modeling capacities as part of its decarbonization efforts. The model will factor in “future-facing energy innovations.” (Wam)
  • Oman’s Bahwan Automobiles Trading (BAT) is now the official distributor for Vietnam’s giant EV automaker VinFastin the sultanate. VinFast has a wide range of EVs including electric SUVs, sedans, crossovers, e-scooters, and e-buses. (Times of Oman)
  • EWEC partners with Energy Exemplar to expandenergy modeling and forecasting: The Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) signed an MoU Thursday with software provider Energy Exemplar to introduce Energy Exemplar’s cloud-based platform modeling capabilities to EWEC’s operations. (Statement)
  • Siemens to upgrade transformers of the High Dam and Aswan: Siemens Energy has been selected to upgrade the power transformers at Egypt’s High Dam power station and Aswan power stations 1 and 2. The project aims to boost the transformers’ life span 40-50 years and add 300 MW to the grid. (AlMasry Al Youm)
  • University of Sharjah + Karmantera partner on agriculture: The University of Sharjah and US climate tech firm Karmanterra will together explore methods of expanding green spaces in desert areas and promoting sustainable agriculture in reclaimed lands, as per an MoU signed on Wednesday. The project aims to turn coal into nano-carbons which will be used to boost the plants’ durability against drought, extreme heat and soil salinity — events that have been exacerbated by climate change in recent years. (AlKhaleej)
  • Morocco’sBank of Africa launches initiative to promote sustainable financial practices: The Bank of Africa has partnered with six local academic institutions to launch the African Chair for Sustainability and Impact Finance initiative on Tuesday. The program aims to contribute to the research and education on sustainable finance, corporate social responsibility, technology, circular economy, green mobility, and environmental impact measurement. (Telexpresse).
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