Features / Research & Analysis
Maritime Borders in the EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN
Wild waters of the Eastern Mediterranean spread a massive veil over wealthy gas reserves. Countries in the region have become feverish to lift it, claiming a better and bigger portion of resources hidden below the sea bedrock. But their eagerness to dig into the subsea richness often generates disputes and confrontations.
Rentier States: Feeling the Pressure
In political science, the term “rentier state” refers to a state that derives the majority of government revenues from the sale of domestic resources to external clients. Today, the term almost exclusively applies to the world’s major oil-producing states, particularly in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, which boast massive state-controlled oil and gas reserves and firms to utilize them. Academics hypothesize on the effects of rentier economics on democratic, institutional, economic and human development, the general consensus being that the practice is rarely a good thing – the debate over the “oil curse” is a common one.
THE REALITY OF ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY IN EGYPT
Egypt is in a competition with itself. It is trying to expand incoming investments, and it is striving to win back trust of foreign oil companies. Attempts to open up investment environment for old and new oil majors keep stumbling across fiscal and monetary uncertainties that the Egyptian government is currently facing.
Policy Options and Prospects for Egypt’s Downstream Sector
Egypt’s refining industry suffers from a series of mismatches in the downstream sector. Refineries are not designed to process certain grades of crude that nonetheless are supplied to them. Business sources explain that the same holds true of petrochemicals. The end result of this has been excess capacity, underperformance, underinvestment, and technological backlog.
Across the Technological Horizon: R&D Solutions for Egypt’s Downstream Sector
Global technological breakthroughs in nano-applications are accelerating in the post-production or downstream sector of the oil industry. Egypt desperately needs to utilize these advances to solve many of its outlying economic problems related to the petroleum industry. The question is whether the scientific and industrial infrastructure of the country is suited for riding this technological wave that encompasses everything from petrochemicals to refining to midstream and even upstream.
Interconnectivity: Egypt’s Aspiration for Regional Electricity Hub
Egypt has eloquently embarked upon the aspiration to become a leader in electricity transmissions scheme in the Middle East, Africa, and potentially Europe.
Efficiency Plan: Resolving Egypt’s Electricity Crisis
Egypt has committed itself to generate 20% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, a target that the country’s renewables experts have gladly endorsed. Nonetheless, these self-same experts argue that “energy efficiency” is the more pressing priority for satisfying Egypt’s power generation needs, rather than renewables. Dr. Ehab Abdel-Rahman, Professor of Physics at the American University in Cairo, uses a simple analogy to illustrate this.
SOLAR POWER & POLICY: Renewable Solutions for Egypt’s Electricity Crisis
It appears that the renewable energy industry in Egypt previously had been managed in a similar way as other sectors in the country, such as transportation or retail. Analogies with the taxi transportation system may help to draw a clearer image of the conditions for renewables.
