Publications

Can Circularity-Based Approaches Prevent a Cobalt Supply Shortfall?

Rubal Dua

Electric vehicle batteries rely heavily on a small number of critical minerals, including cobalt. Cobalt metal prices have doubled over the past year as a result of a mismatch between supply and demand, particularly for electric car batteries (Hume 2022).

Dua, Rubal

The Ban on Long-Term Natural Gas Contracts for the European Union: A Double-Edged Sword?

Zlata Sergeeva

Long-term natural gas contracts are necessary market instruments that provide supply security for customers and demand security for producers. Nevertheless, the European Commission recently announced a plan to ban long-term contracts for unabated fossil gas after 2049. This study shows…

Sergeeva, Zlata

Real Gross Domestic Income for Saudi Arabia From 1986 to 2021

Walid Matar

A country’s national income is defined as the total market value of its output. The most used measure for national income is gross domestic product (GDP). One way to estimate GDP for a country is to sum its government consumption,…

Matar, Walid

Understanding Phantom Oil

Phantom oil is oil that is deliberately moved from legally recognized sources or traded in the black market. It is also frequently referred to as illegal, illicit, tacit, or unregistered oil. This oil is generally concealed from the energy community…

Saudi-China Collaboration on Renewable Energy Supply Chains

Many countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have reinforced their interest in enhancing domestic value creation from renewable energy industries while striving to achieve their green energy transition targets. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has identified…

Accelerating the Demand for and International Trade in Low-Carbon Hydrogen

Hydrogen is projected to play an important role in meeting decarbonization targets. Hydrocarbon-rich countries perceive this as an opportunity to decarbonize existing assets and monetize undeveloped hydrocarbon reserves. Meanwhile, non-traditional energy exporters rich in renewable energy resources view hydrogen as…

Saudi Arabia’s Potential to Further Hydrogen Use in the Maritime Sector

Nora Nezamuddin, Rami Shabaneh, Ahm Mehbub Anwar

The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow focussed on advancing low-carbon fuels to reach emissions abatement targets. The conference also reaffirmed the goals of the Paris Agreement: to secure global net-zero emissions by mid-century and limit the…

Nezamuddin, Nora

Shabaneh, Rami

Anwar, Ahm Mehbub

Impacts of Global Climate Policies on Middle Eastern Oil Exporters: A Review of Economic Implications and Mitigation Strategies

Salaheddine Soummane, Aisha Al-Sarihi

Climate policies are tightening in an effort to curb carbon dioxide emissions. As a result, global oil demand may peak and gradually decline, causing oil prices to fall. A structural fall in oil prices may have serious implications for Middle…

Soummane, Salaheddine

Al-Sarihi, Aisha

Modeling final energy demand and the impacts of energy price reform in Saudi Arabia

Science Direct

Anwar Gasim

Consult Within: Analyzing the Recent Decision to Localize Consultancy Professions in Saudi Arabia

Cian Mulligan

In October 2022, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) issued a decision mandating the progressive localization of consultancy professions up to 40% by the end of March 2024. Such targeted localization (or Saudization) of specific professions…

Mulligan, Cian

How Firm Capacity and Forced Outage Rate Assumptions of Renewables Impact Capacity Expansion Model Results

Amro Elshurafa, Marie Petitet, Frank Felder

The undergoing energy transition relies heavily on the deployment of renewables such as solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind power for the generation of electricity. These variable and intermittent resources would modify power systems’ reliability compared to the situation where electricity…

Elshurafa, Amro

Marie Petitet

Felder, Frank

A Global Hydrogen Future

The Energy Futures Initiative (EFI) and the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) convened an invitation-only in-person workshop titled A Global Hydrogen Future. The full-day event was held on Oct. 11, 2022, in Washington, D.C., and brought together 68 subject matter…

Regional Fuel Consumption and Carbon Dioxide Emissions in Saudi Arabia: Impacts of Electricity Price Reforms

Abdulelah Darandary, Jeyhun Mikayilov, Salaheddine Soummane

Evaluating the potential outcomes of energy price reforms is essential for policymakers to assess their effectiveness. In 2016 and 2018, the Saudi government enacted two waves of energy price reforms to curb historically fast-growing electricity demand. We quantify the effects…

Darandary, Abdulelah

Mikayilov, Jeyhun

Soummane, Salaheddine

Is the Recent Price Spike in Electric Vehicle Lithium-Ion Battery Packs Temporary or the Start of a New Trend?

Rubal Dua, Prateek Bansal, Juliet Akamboe

Most nations are evaluating vehicle electrification as a way to decarbonize their passenger car sectors. To make electric vehicles competitive with conventional vehicles for cost-conscious consumers, the upfront purchase price of electric vehicles needs to fall. The battery pack is…

Dua, Rubal

Bansal, Prateek

Juliet Akamboe

Key Improvements in the Saudi Aviation Sector: Exploring the Performance of the Passenger Load Factor

Andres Felipe Guzman, Abdulrahman Alwosheel

Aviation is a significant contributor to the global economy, given that it, directly and indirectly, contributes to jobs, tourism, trade, and countries’ gross domestic product (GDP). However, environmental issues, technological advances, consumer behavior, energy consumption, the volume of passenger and…

Felipe Guzman, Andres

Alwosheel, Abdulrahman

India’s Long-Term Low-Carbon Development Strategy: The Decarbonization of its Road Transport Sector

Yagyavalk Bhatt

India submitted its long-term low-emissions development strategy (LT-LEDS) to the 27th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 27) on November 14, 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. The strategy sets out a…

Bhatt, Yagyavalk

The Circular Carbon Economy Index 2022 – Results

Mari Luomi, Fatih Yılmaz, Thamir Al Shehri

The circular carbon economy (CCE) concept provides a holistic, flexible and pragmatic framework for countries to plan their energy and economic transitions to lower carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emission levels and, ultimately, net-zero emissions. The CCE Index measures countries’…

Luomi, Mari

Yılmaz, Fatih

Al Shehri, Thamir

Implementing Circular Carbon Economies in the Gulf and Beyond

The circular carbon economy (CCE) is an energy transition framework that is based on a holistic, technology-neutral and country context-sensitive approach to achieving net-zero emissions. It embraces all available technologies and tools, from renewable energy to carbon capture and storage…

Overbuilding Transmission: A Case Study and Policy Analysis of the Indian Power Sector

Science Direct

Frank Felder

Innovation by Gulf Cooperation Council Electricity Startups: A Global Comparison

Rolando Fuentes, Frank Felder

The electric power sector is the cornerstone for achieving the energy transition goals of economic progress, energy security and environmental improvements. Substantial and timely innovations are necessary to accomplish these goals. In this commentary, we investigate innovations in the electric…

Fuentes, Rolando

Felder, Frank