The Energy Studies Program researches fossil fuel and alternative energy issues with a focus on the GCC countries and Bahrain in particular.
Subsidies in the GCC are a tradition that is particularly difficult to justify, and Twain’s maxim has likely underlain some of the challenges faced by the Gulf governments as they have tried to scale back subsidies. Biases in the way that humans think present additional obstacles to reform.
Oil prices have declined significantly since the middle of 2014, causing significant concern among major oil exporters, among the Russia and the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC; Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE).
Residents of the Middle East are used to attracting the derision of the rest of the globe’s inhabitants with their outlandish conspiracy theories. Local governments’ tendency to offer limited justifications for their policy decisions inadvertently contributes to cloak-and-dagger speculation about unremarkable phenomena.
When the founders of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), convened in Baghdad in 1960, they made life difficult for themselves by violating virtually all of the ideal conditions for operating a cartel.
Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Amir Muhammad bin Salman Al Saud recently proposed the privatization of the national oil company, Aramco. Many analysts’ initial reaction was that Saudi Arabia must be in dire straits if it is even considering—let alone actually implementing—such a policy.
In a market that is traditionally dominated by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE— Russia has recently entered the fray, and Iran, as well as Iraq are keen to make up for lost time from sanctions and supply disruptions, respectively.
Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries should consider supporting environmental non-governmental organizations in the US.
“You can’t run a business based on sympathies,” the controversial billionaire oil broker, Marc Rich once said. The business of oil is no different; it lubricates the region. And as the price of oil has taken a hit from a high last year of $115 a barrel to $50 a barrel, many are casting about for reasons as to why.
There has been widespread debate regarding the environmental risks of hydraulic fracturing, especially concerns about ground water contamination. The shale oil and gas industry is built on the technology of hydraulic fracturing, and it has made vast amounts of oil and gas shale resources extractable at reasonable costs.
The surge in shale oil supply has changed previous perceptions of oil market dynamics. The US shale oil industry succeeded in doubling US oil output in a few years, specifically after the 2008 financial crisis and up to 2014.
In July 2015, the P5 + 1 countries reached a deal on the Iranian nuclear program and on the lifting of economic sanctions imposed upon Iran. This important development in Middle Eastern strategy led to extensive commentary from many different stakeholders, including the governments of the US, Israel, Iran, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
The Chinese economy is undergoing major reforms in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. These reforms aim to help the Chinese economy maintain its previous growth trends. Yet in a low oil price environment, some challenges arise with regards to China’s energy security.
The hot climate of Bahrain, together with the rising rate of population growth, rapidly rising incomes and the dependence on the hydrocarbon sector, have caused energy consumption to rise sharply over the past couple of decades. According to the Bahrain Central Informatics Organization...
Bahrain currently produces all of it electricity from fossil fuel sources: around 85% of electricity is produced from natural gas, and 15% is produced from oil, with five power stations being used (Figure 1).
One the most important developments in the field of energy in the current decade is the sharp and sustained improvement in the economic feasibility of the technologies used in renewable energy generation.
Our region is considered one of the best in terms of solar irradiation and its annual frequency, which renders the GCC countries capable of producing large amounts of solar energy, as well as being a leader in the area.
