Gas production in the Middle East is on track to rise 30% by 2030 from currently 70 Bcf/d, thanks to large developments in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Qatar, Oman, and the UAE. These forecasts hinge, however, on Brent oil prices holding at $70 per barrel and oil-indexed gas prices hovering at Subscriber Content News in Brief ### July 16 – Blackstone has announced plans to invest $25 billion in developing data centers and power plants in Pennsylvania in partnership with a regional electric utility. Chief Operating Officer (COO) Jon Gray specified several sites have been singled out, envisaged to host several gas-fired power stations in close vicinity to the data centers. ### July 14 – The market for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) is set to expand from currently $2.98 billion to $11.61 billion by 2030, growing at a rate of 31.2% during the forecast period. According to MarketsandMarkets, demand for SOFC is driven by a trend towards clean, decentralized energy. Unlike conventional, centralised power stations, SOFCs offer high electrical efficiency, fuel flexibility and low emissions, which makes them well-suited for residential power and industrial backup systems. ### July 10 – US energy developer NuQuest is seeking for long-term operating partners for various projects, notably 2.2 GW of solar PV and battery storage for to power a greenfield a data center. Projects are situated in the MISO-South, encompassing parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. ### July 8 – Swiss-based MET Group has acquired 100% of KGE, a natural gas storage operator based in Gronau, North Rhine-Westphalia. Working gas volume at Epe totals 179 mmcm, connected to Open Grid Europe.To date, the owners were EWMR , Dortmund’s DEW21, Stadtwerke Essen, Gelsenwasser AG and MET Holding Germany. In Germany, MET already operates gas storages sites at Etzel in Lower Saxony, and at Reckrod in Hesse. ### July 7 – The 750 MW Hunter Power Project has been fired up today, the operator Snowry announced. Situated in Kurri Kurry, in the Australian territory of New South Wales, the plant consists of two open-cycle gas turbine and will initially supply 660 MW of electricity to the grid. ### July 4 – Lloyd’s Register (LR) has entered into a memorandum with German developer DAI for Project Ra, a large-scale green ammonia production and bunkering development at East Port Said, Egypt. The project aims to produce up to 2 million tonnes of green ammonia annually, leveraging Egypt’s renewable energy resources. ### July 1 – Siemens has closed the acquisition of ebm-papst’s Industrial Drive Technology (IDT) division whose portfolio includes integrated mechatronic systems. The acquisition complements Siemens Xcelerator offering, adding to manufacturing automation solutions. ### June 30 – GE Vernova has secured an order for six of its LM2500XPRESS* aeroderivative gas turbine packages from the RG Engineering of Puerto Rico. The six units will help modernize the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) power plants at Daguao, Jobos, and Yabucoa, held by the private operator Genera. ### June 27 – Residential customers in the United States can expect average monthly electricity bills of $178, a slight increase from last summer’s average of $173. Weather remains the main source of uncertainty for energy bills, next to regional factors. Customers in New England, for instance, will face the largest rise in monthly electricity expenditures with a forecast $13 rise this summer. ### June 24 – The Energy as a Service (EaaS) market has reached $126 billion in market valuation and is projected to grow at a rate 8.7% through 2034. According to GM Insights, growth is driven by the increasing shift toward sustainability, reinforced by supportive government incentives and surging energy demand across industries. ### June 23 – The US Supreme Court has ruled that fuel industry groups have legal grounds to challenge the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) waiver that allowed California to implement its Advanced Clean Car I standards. The ruling challenges California’s quest to implement separate, more stringent pollution standards. ### June 20 – Rental power market in the UK, valued $335 million in 2024, is projected to grow at a rate of more than 5% and reach $451.10 Million by 2030. According to the Europe Rental Association (ERA), the power rental segment is highly fragmented, with the top four companies holding only one-third of the market. ### June 18 – Moody’s has rated Siemens Energy AG as ‘investment grade’ at Baa2 with a positive outlook (+) in its inaugural rating which affirms the company’s creditworthiness.In its rating, Moody’s noted Siemens Energy’s leading market positions, its broad geographic and product offering, the positive long-term market fundamentals alongside a growing order backlog and its strong liquidity profile and conservative financial policy. ### June 16 – Pratt &amp; Whitney (P&amp;W) has celebrated 100 years of innovation, highlighting its aeroderivative gas turbines which deliver high efficiency, fast starts, and low emissions for power generation. Over 2,000 aeroderivative units have been deployed globally, providing up to 60 MW each. ### June 6 – The former MAN Energy Solutions is now operating under a new name and has become ‘Everllence’. The company remains part of the Volkswagen Group, and its product and service portfolio stay unchanged. ### June 3 – MET Energia Italia and Eredi Gnutti Metalli have entered a 10-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to offtake wind energy at a fixed price. The volume of electricity supplied under the PPA represents about 9% of the energy needs of Eredi Gnutti’ Brescia-based metallurgy plants. ### June 2 – California Independent System Operator (CAISO), the grid operator for most of the state, is increasingly curtailing solar- and wind-powered electricity generation as it balances supply and demand amidst rapid renewables capacity growth. In 2024, CAISO halted the dispatch of 3.4 million MWh of wind and solar output, a 29% increase year-on-year. ### May 30 – Wärtsilä is partnering with a power plant in the Brazilian city of Recife with a view to running a 4 MW engine on ethanol for 4,000 hours during a two-year pilot starting in April 2026. The Finish engine maker claims the tests will be ‘world-first trial’ in generating electricity with an ethanol-powered engine, though Petrobras and Vale ended a similar trial over high costs and low uptake. ### May 29 – Capstone’ Australian distributor, Optimal Group, has been selected as EPC contractor for a remote community power generation project in the Oceania region. Two Capstone C1000S microturbines will deliver an initial 2 MW of electricity to an isolated community, with the system designed to be scaled up 5 MW of power. ### May 27 – Extensive testing of Wärtsilä 4-stroke engine for ammonia fuel have helped optimise performance. Co-firing a 95% ammonia energy share now achieves up to a 90%reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to equivalent diesel engines. Recent tests proved ammonia to be a suitable fuel for the low-pressure Otto cycle concept, which Wärtsilä uses for dual-fuel engines running on LNG.

Middle East gas production soars, if Brent price holds at $70/bbl

The Middle East is projected to increase gas production by 30% by 2030, driven by developments in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Qatar, Oman, and the UAE, contingent on Brent oil prices remaining at $70/bbl. The article also highlights global energy projects, including Blackstone's $25 billion investment in Pennsylvania, the expansion of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), and regulatory developments in energy markets.