8. Middle East

It may seem paradoxical to talk about renewable energies in a region with the world's largest oil and gas reserves. But there are two reasons why countries in the Middle East are keen to develop renewable energies:

• prepare for the energy transition and increase the share of low-carbon energies in their energy mix;

• take advantage of the region's solar potential.

Abu Dhabi was the first country to harness the potential of the sun. The city of Masdar is supplied entirely by solar power plants, and all its energy is electric. In 2019, Abu Dhabi inaugurated the 1.2 GW Noor Abu Dhabi power plant, and recently EDF, in association with the Chinese company Jinko Power, won a contract to build a 2 GW photovoltaic power plant in Al Dharfa, 35 km from Abu Dhabi city, comprising 5 million...