In The Spotlight
ENOC explores SAF supply partnership with Allied Biofuels
ENOC Group has signed a memorandum of understanding with Allied Biofuels Holding to evaluate opportunities for the supply and distribution of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and electro-synthetic SAF (e-SAF) across regional and international aviation markets.
The proposed collaboration will focus on fuels expected to be produced at Allied Biofuels’ upcoming integrated production complex in Uzbekistan. Under the agreement, both companies will establish a joint working group to study the commercial and operational viability of creating a long-term supply and distribution framework for the alternative aviation fuels.
The initiative forms part of wider efforts within the aviation sector to reduce carbon emissions through lower-carbon fuel alternatives. SAF is increasingly viewed as one of the most practical short-term options for cutting emissions from air travel, although global supply remains limited compared with rising demand from airlines and regulators.
As part of the assessment process, ENOC and Allied Biofuels will review logistics, certification requirements and distribution channels before determining the potential for a formal long-term supply arrangement once the Uzbekistan facility becomes operational.
Hussain Sultan Lootah, Group CEO of ENOC, said the development of a sustainable aviation fuel ecosystem requires coordination across the entire value chain, including production, transportation, certification and fuel distribution.
He noted that the agreement supports the UAE’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel Roadmap 2030 and the country’s broader Net Zero 2050 ambitions, while also reinforcing efforts to position the UAE as a leading hub for cleaner aviation solutions.
Allied Biofuels’ facility is being designed to manufacture both SAF and e-SAF, reflecting growing industry interest in multiple pathways for aviation decarbonisation. Electro-synthetic fuels are produced using renewable electricity and captured carbon dioxide, and are considered a potential long-term solution for reducing lifecycle emissions from aviation.
Alfred Benedict, Managing Director of Allied Biofuels Holding, said the agreement with ENOC represents an important step towards creating a scalable and commercially viable supply platform for sustainable aviation fuels.
He added that ENOC’s regional fuel distribution capabilities and aviation sector expertise could help accelerate market access for SAF and e-SAF produced at the Uzbekistan project.
The partnership highlights increasing momentum across the Middle East and wider aviation industry to expand sustainable fuel infrastructure as airlines and governments seek practical pathways towards lower-emission air transport.
DEUTZ presented its new 24-litre engine for the first time, specifically designed for installation in power generation units. (Image source: DEUTZ)
DEUTZ launches new G-Drive lineup for power generation units
DEUTZ, a provider of innovative and sustainable mobility and energy solutions, has presented its new G-Drive lineup as part of an exclusive customer event at Motorworld Cologne
The new lineup, designed for power generation units, offers a comprehensive and scalable range of G-Drive engines across multiple power classes. It combines high power density, robust performance and global applicability, making it ideal for demanding applications. The range comprises two new product lines, each consisting of an engine with a matched radiator, with a continuous power range: from 30 to 800 kVA for unregulated applications and from 30 to 600 kVA for EU Stage V gensets.
Entry into higher power segments
As a highlight, DEUTZ showed the TCD 24.0 V12 GDU-L engine at the event for the first time: with this 24-litre power package, DEUTZ is opening up a new higher performance class for its customers for installation in power generation units, enabling the system to handle high loads and complex duty cycles with ease.
At the same time, the portfolio is designed to be scalable, offering solutions that can be precisely tailored to growing energy demands and adapted as requirements evolve over time.
The lineup delivers maximum output from a compact displacement, enabling high energy generation with a small footprint. At the same time, it ensures stable power quality even under peak and highly dynamic local conditions and is engineered for maximum availability wherever machine uptime is critical.
Highly economical
The new G-Drive models are designed to be highly economical, helping operators significantly reduce their total cost of ownership. The engines feature efficient fuel consumption to lower day-to-day operating costs and are built with a robust design that ensures long-term durability. Extended maintenance and service intervals further reduce downtime and service expenses. The engines are optimised in terms of displacement and architecture to keep overall lifecycle costs low, including a Stage V-optimised design that avoids unnecessarily high TCO and reliably accepts low-load operation, ensuring that exhaust after-treatment works efficiently even at low load. All relevant emissions standard are met, the entire range is HVO-ready, and overall the lineup is engineered from the ground up to deliver economic performance, regulatory compliance and a consistently low total cost of ownership.
Supported by the proven worldwide DEUTZ 24.7 service network, the new G-drive range offers dependable, efficient power solutions that push the boundaries of performance, innovation and efficiency, the company says.
Markus Villinger, CEO Business Unit Engines at DEUTZ, explained, “Highly reliable, high-performance engines are in demand, especially in the field of emergency power systems and generators. These qualities distinguish our engines and the associated global service. With the new DEUTZ G-Drive lineup, we are now systematically providing our customers in the genset market with an engine portfolio that is perfectly tailored to their specific requirements.”
Growing market
The market for decentralised energy supply is growing worldwide. Rising electricity demand, the increasing share of volatile renewable energies, and the expansion of digital infrastructure, especially data centres, are driving demand for gensets in all regions.
That includes the Middle East and Africa, where the company sees strong potential for the new range, particularly in backup power for data centres, hospitals and the rental sector, where reliability and fast response are critical. To support customers in these regions, the company offers fast and reliable spare parts availability worldwide as well as expert technical support to ensure maximum uptime. A dedicated G-drive team – including technical specialists, product management and local sales experts – focuses specifically on these markets and actively promotes the portfolio through targeted energy trade shows and customer events. In addition, DEUTZ provides dedicated sales and technical training for its sales and service partners to ensure the new range is specified, installed and serviced to the highest standards.
Customers can identify the product line in the DEUTZ G-Drive lineup for unregulated markets by the suffix GDU-L in the model designation (= G-Drive Unit Low Regulated Markets). The engine sets suitable for EU Stage V analogously end in GDU-H (= G-Drive Unit High Regulated Markets).
Detailed information on the new G-Drive portfolio is available on the website at g-drive.deutz.com.
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Rob McGreevy, chief product officer, AVEVA, speaking at AVEVA World 2026. (Image source: AVEVA)
AVEVA announces new product innovations at AVEVA World 2026
AVEVA, a global leader in industrial software, announced new product innovations at its annual industrial intelligence conference AVEVA World 2026 in Milan, designed to help industrial organisations leverage their operational data for better decision making, stronger compliance, and AI-enhanced intelligent operations
For industrial organisations, the pressure to adopt AI is intensifying, and so are the underlying challenges: complex regulatory environments, a growing sustainability imperative, ageing infrastructure and fragmented data.
“For industrial enterprises, the challenge is not ambition but infrastructure. The promise of AI remains largely unrealised for most industrial teams because the operational data, engineering data, workflows, and compliance frameworks required to safely deploy AI at scale have rarely been connected in one place," said Rob McGreevy, chief product officer, AVEVA. "The innovations we are announcing are aimed at closing this gap, across every layer of the industrial technology stack.
“From engineering to operations to compliance, we’re continuing to embed AI and intelligence more deeply into industrial workflows, helping them move faster, manage complexity, and scale with confidence.”
AVEVA is extending its industrial intelligence platform CONNECT to Snowflake and ServiceNow, giving customers access to high-fidelity OT data within the tools they already use for analytics, industrial AI, automations, and machine learning.
A major CONNECT release is planned for Q1 2027, bringing a range of new capabilities, including an industrial knowledge graph that makes it faster to construct, enrich, and operationalise digital twins. The knowledge graph model is populated using a twin builder that applies agentic AI to propose intelligent mappings that align existing data sources to a standard data model.
Flows, set for release in Q2 2026, will enable the assembly and deployment of data processing pipelines for real-time cleansing, filtering, and transformation that simplifies data handling between systems and sources. The combination of flows, twin builder, and the industrial knowledge graph with CONNECT’s existing data management, visualisation, and AI capabilities further enhances the rapid realisation of the industrial digital twin with AI-ready data.
These integrations are supported by a deepening strategic partnership with Microsoft. Key joint capabilities include AI embedded in industrial operations, and a Customer-Hosted SaaS option for large enterprises with specific requirements around data sovereignty, security policy, and private network access.
Bringing AI to industrial operations
AVEVA is embedding AI directly into tools and workflows, from the operator interface to the engineering desktop, enabling teams to make faster, better-informed decisions.
From June 2026, AVEVA Operations Control updates will deliver unified visualisation across the full operational stack, seamlessly connecting HMI, SCADA, and enterprise systems via CONNECT with a consistent design language and a single operational data story.
AVEVA is also introducing expanded capabilities and updates for AVEVA Unified Engineering: Flows via CONNECT, will be integrated by Q2 2026, and Unified Engineering for marine design will be available in Q4 2026.
Across the AVEVA PI System portfolio, AVEVA is announcing a series of updates to make operational data more accessible, more scalable, and ready to support AI workloads, while maintaining required security and governance standards. Key innovations include enhancements to AVEVA PI Server to support analytics and AI-intensive workloads at enterprise scale; more efficient movement of PI Server data into CONNECT; and new web-based management experiences for AVEVA Adapters that simplify the configuration and scaling of industrial data collection. AVEVA PI Vision is also receiving enhancements to trend analysis, navigation, and usability, enabling faster insight extraction from high-volume PI data environments. Additionally, AVEVA is introducing AVEVA PI Audit Reporter, a new web-based audit trail review and reporting solution developed in collaboration with Cognizant.
ALEC wins Sphere Abu Dhabi contract
ALEC Engineering and Contracting has secured a Letter of Award from Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi for the delivery of Sphere Abu Dhabi, a major entertainment and tourism development valued at US$1.7bn.
The project marks one of the largest additions to ALEC’s infrastructure portfolio and further strengthens the contractor’s position in delivering complex, high-profile developments within the UAE.
Inspired by the success of the original Sphere venue in Las Vegas, the Abu Dhabi project is expected to become a major attraction for international visitors and support the emirate’s ambitions to expand its tourism and entertainment offering. The venue is planned as a large-scale immersive destination featuring advanced digital technologies, specialised engineering systems and distinctive architectural design.
Under the award, ALEC will oversee the full design, procurement and construction process. The development will include sophisticated structural and mechanical engineering, bespoke manufacturing and installation works, alongside integrated sustainability features.
Barry Lewis described the award as a major milestone for the UAE-based contractor.
He said: “Receiving the LOA for Sphere Abu Dhabi represents a defining moment for ALEC and reflects the confidence placed in a homegrown UAE company to deliver a globally recognised destination. The project will contribute to Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading centre for immersive entertainment and cultural experiences.”
Lewis added that the award demonstrated the capability of local companies to deliver world-class infrastructure projects at an international standard without relying solely on overseas contractors.
Sean McQue said the project would require careful coordination across all stages of delivery due to its technical and architectural complexity.
“The Sphere Abu Dhabi will require precision in design integration, supply chain management and on-site execution,” he said. “Our engineering expertise and integrated delivery model position us strongly to manage a project of this scale while maintaining quality, programme and cost control.”
Once completed, the venue is expected to support Abu Dhabi’s broader strategy of developing globally competitive tourism, entertainment and cultural infrastructure.
Oman’s first underground copper mine gains support
Dhofar Islamic has signed an agreement to support the development of Oman’s first underground copper mining project, reinforcing the Sultanate’s ambitions to expand its mining industry and strengthen economic diversification efforts under Oman Vision 2040.
The agreement will support the Al Ghuzayn copper project being developed by Mawarid Mining, the mining investment arm of Mohammed Al Barwani LLC. The initiative is regarded as an important milestone for Oman’s minerals sector as the country seeks to increase local value creation and establish a stronger presence within global copper supply chains.
Representatives from Dhofar Islamic, Mawarid Mining and Ahli Islamic attended the signing ceremony, alongside senior executives from the MB Group.
Copper demand has risen significantly in recent years due to its importance in renewable energy technologies, power infrastructure, electric vehicles and industrial manufacturing. The Al Ghuzayn development is expected to contribute to Oman’s long-term industrial growth while supporting the transition towards more sustainable industries globally.
Amor Al Amri said the project represented a major addition to Oman’s mining landscape.
“As Oman’s only underground copper mining development, Al Ghuzayn reflects both the forward-looking vision of MB Group and the structuring capabilities of Dhofar Islamic,” he said. “This project represents a significant addition to the Sultanate’s mining sector and aligns closely with Oman Vision 2040, supporting economic diversification and sustainable growth.”
Beyond increasing copper production, the project is expected to generate employment opportunities for Omani nationals across technical and operational fields, while also supporting local suppliers, skills development and community initiatives.
Mawarid Mining views the project as a strategic investment that will strengthen Oman’s role in supplying minerals required for global industrial and energy transition projects. The company said the development would contribute to expanding downstream mining activities and enhancing the country’s industrial capabilities.
The Al Ghuzayn project also reflects wider regional efforts to diversify Gulf economies beyond hydrocarbons by investing in critical minerals and industrial infrastructure. As countries accelerate renewable energy adoption and electrification programmes, copper has become one of the most sought-after resources worldwide due to its use in power transmission, battery systems and advanced manufacturing.
With construction and development progressing, the project is expected to play a key role in supporting Oman’s mining ambitions while contributing to broader economic growth and industrial resilience.
UAEREP webinar explores future of rain enhancement
The UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science (UAEREP) hosted the 16th edition of its Rain Enhancement Hub Webinar Series, bringing together leading international scientists to discuss the future of weather modification technologies and operational cloud seeding strategies.
Held under the theme “From Scientific Evidence to Operational Readiness: Key Lessons from the WMA Annual Meeting for the Future of Rain Enhancement,” the webinar examined how recent scientific findings can be translated into practical rain enhancement operations.
The session featured several UAEREP-supported researchers, including Michael Dixon, Roelof Burger, Will Cantrell and Daniel Rosenfeld.
Moderated by Mohamed Mahmoud, the webinar reviewed insights from the 2026 Weather Modification Association annual meeting held in Reno, Nevada.
Speakers highlighted the growing use of advanced technologies in cloud seeding evaluation, including dual-polarisation radar systems, artificial intelligence, machine learning and causal analysis tools. Discussions also explored developments in cloud microphysics, aerosol-cloud interactions and methods for determining cloud seedability using laboratory research, modelling and satellite observations.
The webinar additionally focused on the operational application of seeding materials and how UAEREP-funded studies are helping improve cloud seeding strategies under UAE weather conditions. Experts noted that upgraded software platforms and integrated data systems are becoming increasingly important in strengthening operational decision-making and programme evaluation.
Abdulla Al Mandous, who also serves as Director General of the National Center of Meteorology, said international collaboration remains essential to advancing weather modification science.
“At NCM, we remain committed to strengthening international scientific cooperation and active engagement across global platforms that advance weather modification research,” he said. “As water security continues to be a strategic priority for the UAE, we are focused on supporting the development and application of innovative, evidence-based technologies that enhance resilience and contribute to sustainable water resources.”
Alya Al Mazroui said the webinar demonstrated the programme’s role in connecting research outcomes with practical implementation.
“By bridging the gap between research outcomes and operational implementation, and fostering knowledge exchange among leading experts, the programme continues to promote multidisciplinary approaches and reinforce partnerships that support sustainable water resource management,” she said.
UAEREP also participated in the Weather Modification Association Annual Meeting 2026 as a sponsor, with its awardees presenting scientific research across multiple technical sessions. The webinar series continues to provide a global platform for researchers and policymakers to explore emerging solutions addressing water scarcity and climate-related challenges.
Sungrow to power UAE’s gigascale renewable project
Sungrow has signed an agreement with Masdar to supply energy storage and photovoltaic inverter technology for the UAE’s large-scale round-the-clock renewable energy project.
The initiative, being developed by Masdar in partnership with Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC), combines 5.2GW of solar PV generation with a 19GWh battery energy storage system, creating what is described as the world’s first gigascale renewable baseload energy project.
Under the agreement, Sungrow will provide 7.5GWh of its PowerTitan 3.0 energy storage systems and 2.6GW of PV inverter solutions to support the project’s performance, efficiency and reliability.
The development is intended to meet rising demand for uninterrupted clean electricity across sectors including industry, residential communities, commercial operations and digital infrastructure.
Expected to begin operations in 2027, the project is designed to strengthen grid resilience while demonstrating how solar and battery storage can work together to deliver continuous renewable power at utility scale.
The scheme will utilise more than 1,000 PowerTitan 3.0 liquid-cooled battery systems integrated with advanced inverter technology to maintain stable power delivery. Each unit is engineered to operate on an eight-hour charging and 16-hour discharging cycle, supporting around-the-clock renewable energy supply.
The storage systems incorporate liquid-cooled Silicon Carbide Power Conversion System technology, achieving efficiency levels of up to 99.3% and a round-trip efficiency of 90%. The systems are also designed to operate in harsh climates, including temperatures reaching 55°C without performance reduction, making them suitable for the UAE’s environmental conditions.
The project aims to address one of the renewable energy sector’s biggest challenges (intermittency) by combining large-scale solar generation with advanced battery storage. Once completed, it is expected to provide competitively priced renewable baseload electricity and serve as a model for similar projects globally.