DESALINATION-

Morocco is lining up a renewables-powered desalination tender: Morocco plans to launch a tender for a desalination plant with an annual capacity of 250 mn cubic meters by the end of 2024, the kingdom’s Water and Equipment Minister Nizar Baraka told Reuters on Thursday. The facility — set up in north-eastern Moroccan city of Nador — will be the second largest in the country after a planned 300 mn cubic meter desalination project in Casablanca, he said. Construction will begin on the Casablanca plant in early 2024, with fresh water set to be pumped by 2027, he said. Both desalination plants will be powered by renewable energy, he added. “Desalination will ensure drinking water for coastal regions and free up dam water to inland cities, rural areas and farming,” Baraka said.

All under an ambitious plan: Morocco eyes setting up eight new desalination plants powered by renewables, with the facilities adding to an existing 12 run by fossil fuels, the newswire noted. Morocco is targeting the production of 1.3 bn cubic meters of fresh water from desalination by 2035.

GREEN FINANCE-

Egypt need funds to switch out gas-fired stations: Egypt’s NWFE program is looking to secure a USD 150 mn loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to switch out before the end of the year to decommission gas-fired power stations, Asharq Business reported last week, citing two unnamed government officials. The money would be used to replace aging gas-fired power stations with renewable energy in a bid to strengthen the country’s power grid and reduce emissions, one of the sources said.

REMEMBER- The EBRD is the lead partner in the NWFE’s energy pillar, to which it will contribute USD 200-300 mn. The money will be used to decommission 5 GW of gas-fired power plants by 2025 and establish 10 GW of solar and wind projects by 2028. The pillar is expected to mobilize USD 10 bn of private-sector investment and USD 500 mn of soft loans, grants, and assistance from donors and international financial institutions.

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KSA’s SFD is lending Grenada USD 100 mn for smart + green infrastructure: The Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) will extend a USD 100 mn loan to the Grenada government to finance a climate smart infrastructure project, according to a statement published on Friday. The project — which will focus on the towns of St. George, Greenville, and other neighboring areas — will involve constructing breakwaters, developing water and sewage networks, modernizing and developing the sewage treatment system, and using remote sensors to monitor air pollution, the statement said. The loan agreement was signed by SFD CEO Sultan Al-Marshad and Grenada Finance Minister Dennis Cornwall on the sidelines of the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Marrakesh, which concluded yesterday.

REMEMBER- Not SFD’s first Caribbean venture: In August, the Saudi development fund approved a USD 77 mn green loan to the Belizean government to finance construction of a 60 MW solar farm that is expected to offset some 60k tons of CO2 emissions annually.

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EGA + Emirates NBD launch ESG-linked financing program: State-owned aluminum manufacturer Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) and UAE-based banking group Emirates NBD launched a supply chain finance (SCF) program to help aluminum producers green their UAE operations, according to a statement released on Thursday. “The programme will contribute towards improving the sustainability of the UAE aluminum sector by incentivising existing and new suppliers to adopt and invest in sustainable practices, technologies and materials that are aligned with EGA’s sustainability goals and demonstrably improve their own sustainability performance,” the statement read. EGA provided some USD 1.5 bn to its suppliers since the start of 2022 through its SCF programs, the company notes.

SUSTAINABLE AVIATION-

A push for SAF in Oman: Oman’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has signed an MoU with state energy company OQ and and global sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) market leader SkyNRG to examine the possibility of producing the alternative fuel in the sultanate, Oman News Agency reported on Wednesday. Under the MoU, the three signatories would determine the necessary requirements to set up a unit for SAF in the country. The MoU also covers researching techniques for producing the fuel.

KSA’s Red Sea Global is taking its zero-carbon tourist destinations to the next level: Red Sea Global (RSG) — a global multi-project developer fully owned by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund the Public Invesment Fund— has launched the country's first seaplane company to ferry visitors between island resorts using sustainable aviation fuel, according to a statement published on Wednesday. The subsidiary company — called Fly Red Sea — will initially operate a fleet of four luxury Cessna Caravan 208 seaplanes with a target to expand to nine plans by 2028 and over 20 by 2030. The planes will cater to the group’s two ultra-luxury resorts The Red Sea and Amaala.

REMEMBER– RSG is cracking down on emissions: RSG entered into a 25-year concession agreement with French power giant EDF and the UAE’s state-owned renewables player Masdar on a multi-utility infrastructure facility to service Amaala resort last month. The new facility will include a solar station with a 700 MWh battery energy storage facility, a fully powered RO desalination plant with a capacity of 37 mn liters of water per day, and a wastewater treatment plant. The facility is scheduled for completion by early 2025.

RENEWABLES-

India’s Bhageria tapped to build 11 MW solar project in Bahrain: Operator of the Khalifa bin Salman Port APM Terminals Bahrain has awarded an INR 104.5 (USD 12.6 mn) engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract to India’s chemicals and renewables firm Bhageria Industries to build an 11.4 MW solar turnkey project in Bahrain, according to a statement (pdf) released last week. Bhageria will also manage the operation and maintenance of the plant — called the Kingdom of Bahrain Rooftop Project — for 10 years. The project will mark the first entrance for Bhageria in Bahrain’s renewables market, and is scheduled to begin operations in eight months.

APM has been making strides in its green transition: APM Terminals plans to launch a USD 10 mn solar power plant to help the port reach energy self-sufficiency by the end of the year to help slash the port’s carbon emissions by 65%. The project is planned to have 20k solar panels capable of generating 18.5 GW of electricity annually. Last year, Jordanian state-owned utilities and infrastructure firm Aqaba Development Corporation inked a USD 242 mn agreement with APM Terminals Bahrain to turn Aqaba port into a regional logistics hub.

WASTE MANAGEMENT-

KSA launches global e-waste regulation initiative pilot: Saudi Arabia's Communications, Space, and Technology Commission (CST) is launching an initiative aimed at helping countries develop regulations to reduce e-waste, the Saudi Gazette reported last week. The initiative — called the Development of Electronic Waste Management Regulations — will trial the regulations in Zimbabwe, Rwanda, and Paraguay before expanding globally. CST is carrying out the initiative in partnership with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the statement said, adding that the initiative represents one of the outcomes of an agreement signed last June between the two entities to implement regulations that empower the circular economy. The announcement of the e-waste initiative was launched on the sidelines of the Mena Climate week in Riyadh. Only 17% of the 54 mn tons of e-waste is recycled globally, the equivalent of a 15-tonne reduction in CO2.

OTHER STORIES WORTH KNOWING ABOUT THIS MORNING-

• Emirates Steel joins net zero initiative: ADX-listed Emirates Steel Arkan has become a member of ResponsibleSteel requiring the company to adhere to socially and environmentally responsible net-zero steel production. The company captures 800k tons of CO2 per year from one of its operating plants and plans to build a low-carbon iron supply chain complex in Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi. (Wam)
• Abu Dhabi repurposed over 3 mn tons of waste in 2022: The Emirate of Abu Dhabi converted some 3.4 mn tons of waste through 27 refuse management centers in 2022, with recycled demolition waste — for gravel production –- making up the bulk at around 2.2 mn tons, and 59k tons of biowaste being converted into organic fertilizers. (Wam)