Oil, gas and electricity in the Middle East

摘要

Oil, natural gas, electricity and water are intimately connected in the six countries that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council states – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. These countries between them produce around a quarter of the world’s oil and an even greater proportion of oil exports. Qatar is also the world’s largest producer of LNG. Power and water tariffs are heavily subsidized at great cost in all six countries, while oil and natural gas are the primary fuels used for electricity generation and water desalination. About 55% of global desalination capacity is located within the GCC region and, despite the cost, average daily water consumption among the six states now varies between 300 and 750 liters. Foreign direct investment in desalination plants in the UAE this year reached AED7.5 billion ($1.97 billion).