Dii Desert Energy news

The current geopolitical storm will certainly put more focus on energy resilience, and renewable energy’s middle name is resilience. But resilience also exists in a market environment and economics always matter. 

When I went to High school in the sixties (!) in the Netherlands, a young football player emerged from the, then, victorious Ajax team. I have no idea if you remember him or have heard of him, but he finally made it to the top-5 star players of all times, after Messi, Pelé, Maradona and Ronaldo!

At the end of last year, we published a joint report with our Lead Partner INNIO highlighting how data centers can act as “super offtakers” for de-risking giga-scale renewable projects and help accelerating the hydrogen market in the Middle East. However, the recent drone disruptions to cloud infrastructure in the Gulf have shifted the conversation from just lower emission solutions to physical resilience. 

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has shaken global energy markets. Oil and gas flows have been disrupted, prices have jumped, and supply routes are under threat. But instead of slowing down the global energy transition, these events show why the world must accelerate it.

This year’s traditional Dii Iftar in the Tagine could not have had a luckier timing: Thursday, 26th February. We will for sure remember our talks and the pleasant time together, 1.5 days before the terrible war broke out in the Gulf. Sometimes I wish we could turn back time…

Since February 28 when the war between the US and Israel with Iran started, we have witnessed a dramatic impact on global energy markets. The price of oil is inching towards $150 per barrel, with $200 no longer a fata morgana. Meanwhile, shortages of LPG – essential for cooking – are hurting India, which has even suspended natural gas cremations to conserve fuel supply.

Dii Desert Energy unveils MENA Energy Outlook 2026i: Middle East North Africa finally enters the “exponential phase of growth” adding 15 GW of solar PV and wind capacity in just one year; the UAE continues to set global benchmarks, most notably with the start of construction by Masdar in partnership with EWEC of a 5.2 GW solar park coupled with 19 GWh of battery storage to deliver 1GW baseload renewable power; Saudi Arabia breaks global cost records with lowest prices for solar, wind and BESS.

One of the two Dii Studies released at our Annual Dii Desert Energy Leadership Summit explores the synergy between digital infrastructure and the region’s world-leading clean energy resources.

Join Dii Desert Energy and Masdar for the exclusive launch and presentation of the key findings from the new Dii Desert Energy ‘MENA Energy Outlook 2026 – Renewables, Hydrogen and Energy Storage Insights 2030 report’ on the Masdar Stand during World Future Energy Summit at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia pledged to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2060 using the Circular Carbon Economy (CCE) framework. The pledge marks a significant step in its transition towards a more sustainable and diversified energy future.