Oman among frontrunners of renewables growth in MENA: IEA

Oman among frontrunners of renewables growth in MENA: IEA

MUSCAT: Renewable capacity expansion in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is projected to grow three-fold over the next five years (2023 – 2028), with the Sultanate of Oman ranked among the front-runners in driving this growth. According to a new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), Oman’s renewables capacity growth is set to be the fourth largest in the region after Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Morocco.

These countries will account for the lion’s share of the 62 gigawatt (GW) increase in renewables capacity anticipated in the region by 2028, the Paris-based intergovernmental agency noted in its newly published report. “Over the next five years, the pace of growth is expected to accelerate to more than three times the previous five-year period, with solar PV making up over 85 per cent of the increase. Onshore wind and concentrated solar power also contribute,” said the IEA in its report, titled ‘Renewables 2023: Analysis and forecast to 2028’.

Driving much of this growth will be efforts by individual countries to decarbonize their electricity generation, but green hydrogen production is set to play a major role as well, according to the report. This is particularly the case in Saudi Arabia, UAE