Well, friends, that’s a wrap for us as we prepare to slide into the weekend along with our readers in Saudi and Egypt — hang in there, UAE and other folks with Monday-Friday workweeks. You’re nearly there.

News flow is reasonably slow again this morning, but we have some big updates on Acwa Power’s expansions in Central Asia and Oman’s new desalination plant. Let’s dive right in.

THE BIG CLIMATE STORY OUTSIDE THE REGION- Australia approves mega solar project: The Australian government approved what it says is the country’s largest-ever solar power farm. The USD 20 bn project, led by Sun Cable, will have an estimated capacity of around 6 GW and will supply the domestic market and export green power to Singapore via a 4.3k-kilometer subsea cable. The project is called the Australia-Asia Power Link, or AAPowerLink.

A big move for Australia: Once operational, the project will be Australia’s “biggest renewable energy project ever,” and is expected to push the country into becoming a global “renewable energy superpower,” environment minister Tanya Plibersek said. The project will be “economically and socially transformational,” the minister added.

What’s next? Sun Cable is working on land use agreements in Australia and permits from the governments of Indonesia and Singapore. It aims to reach a final investment decision in 2027 and to start supply energy “in the early 2030s.”

By the numbers: The AAPowerLink is expected to create around 6.8k direct and indirect jobs during the construction phase and will be developed over two phases and aims to deliver up to 6 GW of green electricity to customers in Australia (about 4 GW of capacity) and Singapore (2 GW). It centers on a 12k-hectare solar farm in Australia’s Northern Territory.

The story made headlines in the international press: Reuters | The Guardian | ABC | Forbes | Bloomberg | Business Today | Associated Press

WATCH THIS SPACE-

#1- We have more details about Egypt’s first WtE plant: The architectural engineering, boilers, turbines, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and water and sewage systems of Egypt’s Abu Rawash waste-to-energy project have been completed, according to a government statement. An environmental impact assessment was also completed prior as part of the process to secure a 500 sqm plot of land, and get the connection to Giza’s Industrial Transformer Station approved.

The project is over a year in the making: The Egyptian government inked a USD 120 mn agreement with a consortium led by Renergy Egypt to design, build, own, and operate its new waste-to-energy facility in Abu Rawash city. The plant will convert some 1.2k tons of municipal solid waste per day to 30 MWh of electricity. The consortium is made up of Egypt’s National Organization of Military Production, waste management firm Green Tech Egypt and Bahrain-headquartered Oak Group Holdings.

In context: A growing number of Egyptian companies, particularly in the cement industry, have been adding refuse-derived fuel to their energy mix for more than a decade. The Abu Rawash project is getting plenty of ink for being the first megawatt-scale, government-backed energy plant of its kind.

#2- Chinese critical mineral exports rebound, easing global supply concerns: The volume of China’s exports of minerals critical to the energy transition — such as gallium, germanium, and graphite — have returned to more normal levels, alleviating fears that last year’s export restrictions could disrupt global high-tech manufacturing, Bloomberg reports, citing the country’s customs figures. Gallium sales have rebounded the most, while germanium and graphite have seen slower recoveries, in part due to slacking demand for electric vehicles.

The export restrictions are part of a larger trade war between China and the West: The EU brought in the Critical Raw Materials Act aimed at decreasing reliance on imports of essential energy transition minerals including lithium and nickel in March 2023. The regulation — which mainly targets Chinese imports that account for 95% of the global supply — sets a target to have the EU locally produce at least 10%, and process at least 40% of strategic materials needed annually by 2030. US lawmakers also recently introduced a bill that would block Chinese solar panel manufacturers from receiving subsidies for their US facilities.

The rules are having ripple effects on the Middle East’s investment interests: Qatar Investment Authority invested USD 180 mn in Dublin-based critical minerals investment company TechMet earlier this month with the aim to reduce China’s dominance in critical minerals for clean energy.

HAPPENING NEXT WEEK-

UK-Egypt trade and investment in the spotlight: Our friends at HSBC, together with the Egyptian-British Chamber of Commerce (EBCC) and UK Export Finance (UKEF), will host a webinar next week to discuss how to support infrastructure reforms, potential partnerships in Egypt, and ways to support and connect companies around the world. The webinar takes place next Thursday (29 August) from 12-1pm CLT / 1-2pm UAE.

Want to attend? You can sign up here.

The webinar is a scene-setter for the Egypt-UK Investment and Opportunities Forum in London on Monday, 16 September.

The green economy is a key part of the forum. The gathering — which follows on from a June infrastructure mission — will focus on promoting trade and investment in infrastructure, with an emphasis on green hydrogen and renewables as well as sectors including the auto industry, food processing, and tech.

Networking: The forum will include both open panels and pre-arranged business-to-business networking. It will also give attendees the chance to meet with government officials and industry leaders. GAFI will be on hand to deliver an economic update.

Want to join them in London? Register your interest in attending the event here.

DANGER ZONE-

Rising emissions could double the rate of coastal floodings by 2100: In a low emissions scenario, the global rate of both coastal flooding and flooding by rainfall are predicted to increase by 99% and 6%, respectively, according to a joint study by the University of Bristol and water risk intelligence firm Fathom. In a high emissions scenario flooding caused by rainfall could increase by as much as 44% by the end of the century. At the same time, the average flood hazard level is forecast to rise by between 9% to 49% in the same period, depending on the emissions scenario. The research uses a newly developed advanced mapping framework to project different flooding scenarios with unprecedented precision.

North Africa will be among the regions most affected: The largest future increases in flooding are forecast to be around the world’s coastlines including North Africa, as well as in Africa and Asia where rainfall-induced floods are more common. The research underscores the need for robust flood defences and climate regulations to protect vulnerable communities and infrastructure.

BACKGROUND- The UAE facds one of its worst floods this year: Flooding, damage, and power outages hit the Emirates by storm in April as a result of the heaviest rainfall the country has seen in 75 years, with a year’s worth of rain falling over the country in a single day. Climate change — which causes warm air to hold more moisture and can lead to heavier rainfall — was the likely culprit for the extreme weather event, scientists said at the time.

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CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

Turkey will host the International Conference on Clean and Green Energy Engineering from Saturday, 24 August to Monday, 26 August in Izmir. The event will gather researchers and professionals to share advances in clean energy. It will also offer a platform to discuss the latest research, practices, and applications in clean and green energy engineering.

The UAE will host the World Utilities Congress from Monday, 16 September to Wednesday, 18 September in Abu Dhabi. The event will gather global energy leaders, policymakers, and other industry professionals from the power and water utilities value chain to discuss industry trends and challenges.

Saudi Arabia will host the EV Auto Show from Tuesday, 17 September to Thursday, 19 September in Riyadh. The show offers a platform for participants to learn about the latest EV technologies and services.

Check out our full calendar on the web for a comprehensive listing of upcoming news events, national holidays and news triggers.