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Copyright © 2015 NewBase www.hawkenergy.net Edited by Khaled Al Awadi – Energy Consultant All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, redistributed, or otherwise copied without the written permission of the authors. This includes internal distribution. All reasonable endeavours have been used to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication. However, no warranty is given to the accuracy of its content. Page 1 NewBase 17 January 2016 - Issue No. 766 Edited & Produced by: Khaled Al Awadi NewBase For discussion or further details on the news below you may contact us on +971504822502, Dubai, UAE Doubling share of renewables in energy mix to boost global economic growth The Naqtional - LeAnne Graves The accelerating deployment of renewable energy after a historic climate deal will expand the global economy by US$1 trillion and create millions of new jobs, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena). The Abu Dhabi-based agency issued a report yesterday in which it said that if the share of renewable power sources – including solar, wind and geothermal – in the world energy mix could be increased to 36 per cent by 2030, it would raise global GDP by up to 1.1 per cent – approximately the equivalent of $1.3 trillion. The forecast follows a universal and legally binding climate deal signed by 195 countries in Paris last month. The agreement, to come into effect in 2020, sets forth an action plan to curb climate change by keeping any rise in temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius. To do this, an acceleration of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures will be required. Already, 164 countries, including the UAE, have renewable energy targets in place.

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Page 1: New base 766 special 17 january 2016

Copyright © 2015 NewBase www.hawkenergy.net Edited by Khaled Al Awadi – Energy Consultant All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, redistributed,

or otherwise copied without the written permission of the authors. This includes internal distribution. All reasonable endeavours have been used to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this

publication. However, no warranty is given to the accuracy of its content. Page 1

NewBase 17 January 2016 - Issue No. 766 Edited & Produced by: Khaled Al Awadi

NewBase For discussion or further details on the news below you may contact us on +971504822502, Dubai, UAE

Doubling share of renewables in energy mix to boost global economic growth

The Naqtional - LeAnne Graves

The accelerating deployment of renewable energy after a historic climate deal will expand the global economy by US$1 trillion and create millions of new jobs, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena).

The Abu Dhabi-based agency issued a report yesterday in which it said that if the share of renewable power sources – including solar, wind and geothermal – in the world energy mix could be increased to 36 per cent by 2030, it would raise global GDP by up to 1.1 per cent – approximately the equivalent of $1.3 trillion.

The forecast follows a universal and legally binding climate deal signed by 195 countries in Paris last month. The agreement, to come into effect in 2020, sets forth an action plan to curb climate change by keeping any rise in temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius. To do this, an acceleration of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures will be required. Already, 164 countries, including the UAE, have renewable energy targets in place.

Page 2: New base 766 special 17 january 2016

Copyright © 2015 NewBase www.hawkenergy.net Edited by Khaled Al Awadi – Energy Consultant All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, redistributed,

or otherwise copied without the written permission of the authors. This includes internal distribution. All reasonable endeavours have been used to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this

publication. However, no warranty is given to the accuracy of its content. Page 2

“Thanks to the growing business case for renewable energy, an investment in one is an investment in both,” said Adnan Amin, Irena’s director general. “That is the definition of a win-win scenario.”

The “Renewable Energy Benefits: Measuring the Economics” report was released at the sixth session of the Irena General Assembly, a two-day event held in Abu Dhabi ahead of the World Future Energy Summit in the capital that opens on Monday.

The renewable energy job market will more than double from 9.2 million global jobs currently to more than 24 million, Irena said. “This analysis provides compelling evidence that achieving the needed energy transition would not only mitigate climate change, but also stimulate the economy, improve human welfare and boost employment worldwide,” said Mr Amin. To drive those targets, the bulk of financing – about 85 per cent – will derive from private investment. “We believe that public financing will remain at approximately the same share [of investments] at 15 per cent,” said Rabia Ferroukhi, the head of the knowledge, policy and finance division at Irena. “This will be necessary to trigger private investment in the sector.”

While the government percentage of financing may remain the same, the overall sector has grown substantially. Last year clean energy investment rose 4 per cent to its highest amount at $328.9 billion, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The head of Saudi Arabia-based Acwa Power, Paddy Padmanathan, last month told The National that the private sector was the main driver of the power sector.

“Governments aren’t investing a great deal of capital. As we switch more to renewable energy, the investment capital continues to increase,” he said. Mr Padmanathan expects the Saudi firm’s business across the Middle East and North Africa to grow 20 per cent year-on-year. Abu Dhabi’s Masdar has announced that to meet rapidly rising demand in the Mena region to 2030 it would double its solar and wind energy portfolio over the next 10 years.

Saudi Arabia’s Abdul Latiff Jameel group, which is currently involved in 18 countries, including operations and solar projects in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey is “actively seeking strategic partnerships in the renewable energy space”. It “will also look to collaborate with energy experts and government initiatives on opportunities around power production and conservation”, said Roberto De Diego Arozamena, the chief executive of the Dubai-based unit Abdul Latif Jameel Energy and Environmental Services.

Irena’s Mr Amin said that the energy transformation that will take place would not be based on individual projects, but rather a “holistic approach to developing an entirely new energy system”. He said: “It will be as revolutionary as mobile telephones were for the telecom. industry.”

Page 3: New base 766 special 17 january 2016

Copyright © 2015 NewBase www.hawkenergy.net Edited by Khaled Al Awadi – Energy Consultant All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, redistributed,

or otherwise copied without the written permission of the authors. This includes internal distribution. All reasonable endeavours have been used to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this

publication. However, no warranty is given to the accuracy of its content. Page 3

Qatar to hike petrol prices by more than 30 per cent AFP + The National + NewBase

Energy-rich Qatar has decided to raise the cost of petrol by a third or more from Friday, according to the state fuel company, amid a slump in global oil prices.

The surprise hike comes into force from midnight and has immediately led to queues at some petrol stations in Qatar, according to social media.

The rises were announced by Woqod, the state fuel company, in a memo sent to petrol station managers on Thursday.

Prices for regular petrol will increase to 1.30 Qatari riyals (35 US cents) a litre from 1.00 riyal.

Other products will rise even more steeply, with one, premium petrol, increasing around 35 per cent to 1.15 riyals.

Last summer Qatar announced it would face its first budget deficit in 15 years in 2016 because of the fall in energy prices.

In December, it was forecast that lower energy prices would leave Qatar with a hole of around $12 billion in the 2016 budget.

The UAE hiked gasoline prices in August, while Saudi Arabia did so last month and Oman and Bahrain followed suit this week; Kuwait is expected to take similar action in

the coming months.

Page 4: New base 766 special 17 january 2016

Copyright © 2015 NewBase www.hawkenergy.net Edited by Khaled Al Awadi – Energy Consultant All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, redistributed,

or otherwise copied without the written permission of the authors. This includes internal distribution. All reasonable endeavours have been used to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this

publication. However, no warranty is given to the accuracy of its content. Page 4

Iraq's southern oil exports running at 3.3 MBD, unaffected by clashes Reuters

Iraq's exports from its southern region have been running at an average daily rate of 3.297 million barrels per day (bpd) so far this month, higher than December's average and unaffected by tribal clashes, an oil company executive said on Saturday.

All the fields are running normally, state-run South Oil Co.'s deputy director general Salah Mahdi told Reuters in an interview in Basra. "The security situation is very good, I don't see any impact on our oil operations," he said.Iraq sent an armored army division and a police strike force into the southern oil city of Basra to disarm residents as fighting between rival Shi'ite Muslim tribes intensified, local officials and security sources said on Friday.

Iraq exported 3.215 million bpd on average in December, according to the oil ministry. The country produces most of its oil from the southern region.

The crude shipments from the south account for all of Iraq's central government's oil sales as the Kurdish regional government in the north in mid-2015 pursued independent sales in an escalating row over oil export rights and budget payments.

The southern regions are far from areas of conflict with Islamic State militants in

the north and west, but recent tribal fighting raised fears of disruptions to energy operations.

"Recent security operations in Basra are sending reassuring messages to international foreign oil companies," Mahdi said.South Oil Co., which has overseen all exploration and production operations south of Baghdad, is about to change its name to Basra Oil Co. as part of an ongoing government plan to break it up into several provincial oil companies.

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Jordan to Have 500 Megawatts of Solar, Wind Power by End of Year Bloomberg - Mahmoud habboush

Jordan plans to have 500 megawatts of wind and solar power capacity by the end of this year as the country boosts the amount of electricity produced with renewable energy, according to a statement by Ibrahim Saif, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources.

Of the planned 1,000 megawatts of projects being developed in the kingdom, 170 megawatts are already operational and the rest is expected to come online by 2018, the ministry said. The statement was delivered Saturday by Ziad Jibril Sabra, an adviser to the energy minister, at an annual meeting of the International Renewable Energy Agency in Abu Dhabi.

A number of nations in the Middle East are seeking to diversify their energy supplies away from conventional fuels, such as natural gas, and have set targets for the amount of

their energy mix coming from clean sources. Jordan seeks to double the share of renewable energy projects providing its electricity to 25 percent by 2025.

The country, a net importer of oil and gas, spent almost a fifth of its gross domestic product on importing energy last year. Every $1-a-barrel increase in the price of oil costs Jordan’s economy another $50 million annually, according to the statement. The nation has attracted $1.6 billion in investments in renewable-energy projects, it said.

Page 6: New base 766 special 17 january 2016

Copyright © 2015 NewBase www.hawkenergy.net Edited by Khaled Al Awadi – Energy Consultant All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, redistributed,

or otherwise copied without the written permission of the authors. This includes internal distribution. All reasonable endeavours have been used to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this

publication. However, no warranty is given to the accuracy of its content. Page 6

Norway's Statoil Buys Minority Stake in Lundin Petroleum Bloomberg - Stephen Treloar

Statoil ASA, Norway’s biggest energy company, bought a 12% stake in Lundin Petroleum AB, increasing its exposure to the giant Johan Sverdrup field.

The Norwegian oil producer bought about 37 million shares in the Stockholm-based company, Statoil said in a statement on Thursday. Statoil is supportive of Lundin’s management, board and strategy and there is no plan to increase its shareholding in the company.

“We consider this a long-term shareholding,” Statoil CEO Eldar Saetre said in the statement. “The Norwegian Continental Shelf is the backbone of Statoil’s business, and this transaction indirectly strengthens our total share of the value creation from core, high value assets on the NCS.”

The move comes as oil companies cut costs to adapt to a plunging oil price, with Brent crude falling below $30 a barrel on Wednesday. Lundin holds the second-largest stake in the Johan Sverdrup field, Norway’s biggest offshore project in decades. The field is estimated to hold 1.7 billion to 3 billion barrels of oil.

Statoil owns a 40 percent stake in the field, which is scheduled to start production at the end of 2019. Lundin Petroleum AB holds a 23 percent stake, Petoro AS 17 percent, Det Norske Oljeselskap ASA 12 percent and A.P. Moeller-Maersk A/S 8 percent.

Page 7: New base 766 special 17 january 2016

Copyright © 2015 NewBase www.hawkenergy.net Edited by Khaled Al Awadi – Energy Consultant All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, redistributed,

or otherwise copied without the written permission of the authors. This includes internal distribution. All reasonable endeavours have been used to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this

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Canada: Cnooc's Nexen Stops Long Lake Oil Sands Work After Fatal Blast Bloomberg - Robert Tuttle

Cnooc Ltd.’s Nexen Energy unit is halting work at its Long Lake oil sands operations in Canada after an explosion killed a worker and injured another.

Oil closed below $30 a barrel Friday for the first time since 2003, bringing bigger losses to oil sands producers. The industry may burn through about C$12 billion ($8.4 billion) of cash a year as revenue fail to cover costs, analysts at Calgary-based investment bank Peters & Co. wrote in a report this past week.

The Nexen 72,000 barrel-a-day upgrader has been shut and pumping stopped on oil sands

production wells, Vice President Ron Bailey said Saturday at a press conference in Calgary.

The blast occurred Friday in the upgrader’s hydrocracker unit while it was undergoing

maintenance.

The shutdown adds to the strain on Nexen from plunging oil prices and a pipeline leak that

caused an oil spill in July. The Alberta Energy Regulatory ordered the company to shut

operations for part of September after that incident.

Page 8: New base 766 special 17 january 2016

Copyright © 2015 NewBase www.hawkenergy.net Edited by Khaled Al Awadi – Energy Consultant All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, redistributed,

or otherwise copied without the written permission of the authors. This includes internal distribution. All reasonable endeavours have been used to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this

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UK: Scots shouldn’t be fooled by the oil-price naysayers The Guardian - Kevin McKenna

As BP announced last week that it was to lay off hundreds of workers in its North Sea fields owing to the continued downturn in oil prices the usual suspects went into meltdown. There were two competing reactions: sympathy and concern for the families of those made redundant by their multibillion global super company and sheer delight at the prospect of giving the Nationalists a right good kicking.

By the end of the week, those espousing the latter sentiment in Scotland had won easily. Many Scottish Labour figures, all of whom ought to have known better, were in the latter camp and that is why their party won’t have enough MSPs to run a coconut shy after the Holyrood elections.

Of course, there is some capital to be gained in the theatre of party politics owing to some ill-judged oil revenue predictions in the SNP’s white paper on Scottish independence. In that document, an unlovely and unnecessarily grandiloquent testament, the SNP predicted that in 2016-17 oil revenues would be somewhere in the region of £6.8bn to £7.9bn.

In fact, at current prices, revenues will be a mere fraction of that. As such, according to some, the

economy of an independent Scotland would have suffered defenestration; key public services would have been imperilled and the country would have been looking for handouts from Greece. Well, it might have been if Scotland’s economy rested solely on oil for its health and vigour.

Thankfully, it does not. Even without oil, Scotland’s GDP per head is less than 1% lower than the rest of the UK’s.Scotland is simply fortunate that it is one of only a favoured few countries that possess oil wealth, which has, at various points over the last 40-odd years, been, by turn, gargantuan, merely massive or disappointingly plentiful, as it is now. What is more, in its volatile history you can no more accurately predict the price of a barrel of oil than divine how many clean gold medals will be won at an Olympic Games.

This is how Alistair Darling described oil in 2008: “The trouble with oil is that it’s a tremendously volatile diminishing asset.” In the same year, the Telegraphpredicted that North Sea oil would last for another century. A year later, the newspaper had revised that figure down a tad. “Collapsing oil revenue will turn the whole UK into a banana republic,” it warned.

Last week, it was announced that the UK’s economy grew by 0.4% in the third quarter of 2015 from the previous three months. In the same period, Scotland’s economy grew by 0.1%, despite job losses in the North Sea and the accompanying strain on firms that service the oil sector.

There are two ways of looking at this: the UK economy as a whole enjoyed a modest increase and Scotland enjoyed a slightly more modest increase, thus exhibiting a welcome resilience in difficult conditions. Or the Scottish economy was four times worse off than the rest of the UK’s. You can guess which outlets chose the latter view.

Page 9: New base 766 special 17 january 2016

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In the febrile political atmosphere that has persisted since the independence referendum there has been a tendency by either side to take up entrenched positions on policy areas to a far greater degree than the pre-referendum norm. In such feverish conditions has the oil debate been conducted.

Thus, if the referendum had not taken place then much more would have been made of the concomitant economic benefits derived from the oil crisis. The price of a litre of petrol which, in the middle of last year was about £1.45, has been cut to around £1.05, a reduction of around 27%. This has stimulated other parts of the economy in terms of increased consumer optimism and a hike in profits, leading to healthier recruitment levels and higher wages. In the rush to land punches on the SNP for its pre-referendum oil receipt estimates, much of this has been ignored.

Less than a year ago, the FT reported that the Fraser of Allander Institute, the country’s premier economic think-tank, was expressing faith in the robust character of Scotland’s economy. “The oil industry is very, very important and in many ways the jewel in the Scottish economy,” said Brian Ashcroft, the institute’s chief economist, “but the Scottish economy is much bigger than the oil industry and there are lots of areas that will benefit from lower oil prices.”

Scotland and the less affluent northern outreaches of England will always be secondary players in the top-down nature of the south’s interpretation and exploitation of the UK economy. Not only is the wealth and income gap distorted in favour of the affluent south-east, so too is the economic narrative. In this, a country where 1% of citizens take 90% of its £100m profit is deemed to be richer than one which makes only £10m, but distributes it equally. But it is far, far poorer.

Scotland’s citizens are far from economically illiterate and those who are poorest know more than anyone else what a proper economic challenge looks like. What scares the bejesus out of the monetarists is that for 16 months now these people appear to be putting their faith in something higher than personal financial gain.

We can only wonder what Scotland would have looked like if successive Labour and Tory governments hadn’t concealed the 1974 McCrone report, which stated that North Sea oil receipts would have made an independent Scotland the second richest country in Europe. Instead, Margaret Thatcher used it to pay off a viable coal industry and now her acolytes ridicule us for being naive about what remains.

Page 10: New base 766 special 17 january 2016

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or otherwise copied without the written permission of the authors. This includes internal distribution. All reasonable endeavours have been used to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this

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NewBase 17 January 2016 Khaled Al Awadi

NewBase For discussion or further details on the news below you may contact us on +971504822502 , Dubai , UAE

US oil plunges 5.7% on China, closes at $29.42 /B Reuters + NewBase

World oil prices slumped to below $29 a barrel on Friday, as a further fall in the Chinese stock market and the prospect of an imminent rise in Iran's crude exports deepened fears of a longer supply glut.

After closing higher for the first time in eight sessions on Thursday, U.S. and Brent crude futures slumped to new 12-year lows, taking this year's losses to more than 20 percent, the worst two-week decline since the 2008 financial crisis.

The slump was not over yet, some analysts warned, as the lifting of sanctions on Iran opens the door to a wave of new oil. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is expected later on Friday in Vienna to issue its report on Iran's compliance with an agreement to curb its nuclear program, potentially triggering the lifting of Western sanctions.

Shares in China, the world's No. 2 oil consumer, tumbled on Friday, with the Shanghai index ending down 3.5 percent to its lowest close since December 2014 and the yuan weakening sharply offshore. Adding to fuel demand concerns, U.S. data showed retail sales fell and industrial production weakened in December.

The "ongoing worries regarding the pace of economic growth" spurred a new round of selling in the oil market, said Tim Evans, energy futures specialist at Citi Futures.

The March Brent contract was down $1.77, or 6.25 percent, at $28.96 a barrel, having fallen as low as $28.82, the weakest level since February, 2004.

U.S. crude futures closed down $1.78, or 5.71 percent, at $29.42 a barrel.

Prices remained steady after oilfield services firm Baker Hughesreported the U.S. oil rig count fell by just 1 rig, bringing the total to 515. At this time last year, drillers were operating 1,366 rigs in U.S. oil fields.

Even before Iran's sanctions are lifted, Iran's oil exports were on target to hit a nine-month high in January. Tehran is expected to target India, Asia's fastest-growing major oil market, as well as its old partners in Europe with increased exports once sanctions are lifted.

Oil price special

coverage

Page 11: New base 766 special 17 january 2016

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"It is the wrong time for Iran to be returning to the oil market, both for the market and likely also for Iran," Phillip Futures said in a note on Friday.

Despite oil prices hovering around new multi-year lows, analysts say that prices have not hit the bottom just yet, with demand likely to ease in coming weeks, especially with refiners beginning to shut for routine spring maintenance.

A further fall in prices "cannot be excluded", Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch told Reuters Global Oil Forum. He warned that $25 a barrel "is quite possible, but not much lower than that."

Commerzbank cut its 2016 forecast for oil prices, changing its year-end expectation for Brent to $50 per barrel, down from a previous forecast of $63. The oil price collapse has hammered currencies from commodity-producing nations and spooked financial markets as investors worry about the health of the global economy.

Still, influential U.S. bank Goldman Sachs on Friday maintained its $40 price forecast for U.S. crude for the first half of 2016. "The key theme for 2016 will be real fundamental adjustments that can rebalance markets to create the birth of a new bull market, which we still see happening in late 2016," Goldman said in a report.

North Dakota oil drillers cut rigs to lowest level since 2009 The number of active oil rigs in North Dakota dropped to 49 on Friday, the fewest since Aug. 2009 Bloomberg + NewBase

Drillers in the U.S.’s second-biggest oil- producing state are throwing in the towel.

The number of active oil rigs in North Dakota dropped to 49 today, the fewest since Aug. 2009, the state Industrial Commission’s Department of Mineral Resources said in a report. West Texas Intermediate crude dropped to the lowest level in more than 12 years.

“Companies are reducing their drilling plans,” Lynn Helms, director of North Dakota’s Department of Mineral Resources, said on a conference call after the report’s release. There’s “a lot of pessimism” in the near term.

Page 12: New base 766 special 17 january 2016

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North Dakota produces more oil than any state other than Texas, according to the Energy Information Administration, the statistical arm of the US Energy Department. It pumped 1.18 million barrels a day of crude in November, up from 1.17 million in October, state data show.

WTI dropped to $29.13 a barrel in intraday trading Friday on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the lowest level since November 2003. Prices have declined 21 per cent this year, following the 62 per cent slump in the previous two years.

Page 13: New base 766 special 17 january 2016

Copyright © 2015 NewBase www.hawkenergy.net Edited by Khaled Al Awadi – Energy Consultant All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, redistributed,

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NewBase Special Coverage

News Agencies News Release 17 January 2016

Saudi Life With $30 Oil Bloomberg - Donna Abu-Nasr

This is Saudi Arabia in 2016. It may be a familiar story to austerity-hit Europeans and Americans, but in a nation synonymous with conspicuous consumption, the belt-tightening has been unsettling. Unprecedented cuts to fuel and energy subsidies are forcing the kind of rigor never seen during the era of petrodollar-fueled wealth that quadrupled per-capita income since the late 1980s.

“A lot of things will change,” said Hathut, 30, who plans to supplement his income as a business-administration teacher at a Riyadh university with private training sessions. “But many youths are still in a state of shock. They haven’t processed the news and what to do.”

With oil having plunged to about $30 a barrel, signs of the tectonic shift taking place in the

ultra-conservative Islamic kingdom are everywhere: from the royal palace where the nation’s founding family is contemplating the sale of its monopoly oil producer to the homes and businesses adjusting to the new economy. Resurgent Youth

Those aged 15 to 34, who make up more than 40 percent of the 21 million Saudis, are at the forefront of the upheaval. No longer

can they take for granted free health care, gasoline at 20 cents a liter and routine pay increases.

Even the power of the religious police, which upholds the strict brand of Islam that defines Saudi Arabia, may no longer go unchecked by the government. The Consultative Council, an advisory body, last month urged the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice to compile a list of banned behaviors to prevent abuse by officers. They can arrest unmarried couples found together in a car or people caught with flowers on Valentine’s Day.

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Khlood Aldukheil

More women are entering the workplace and were able to run in local elections for the first time last month, though they’re still banned from driving.

It’s “night and day” from 20 years ago when investment banker Khlood Aldukheil, 42, would get into the elevator to go up to her office only to be told no women worked in the building. People used to hang up on her because they thought they were calling the wrong department, she said. Saudi Welcome

Young, social media-savvy Saudis now expect to have more of a say in running and modernizing the country, changing Saudi Arabia as we know it, said Ghanem Nuseibeh, founder of London-based consulting firm Cornerstone Global Associates.

“Saudi youth won’t be content with what the previous generations were content with,” said Nuseibeh. “Whatever the state is going to take away from them because of dwindling financial resources they would expect to receive it by some other means.”

Something different is apparent from the minute you set foot at Riyadh airport. The drab arrival hall from years ago is now bright with televisions showing cartoons.

Passengers are greeted by smiling young officials in traditional white robes: “Welcome to Saudi Arabia.” Older women and mothers with children are guided to comfortable chairs as male relatives stand in line at passport control. Taking Selfies

In downtown Riyadh, dining no longer feels like eating in a prison cell after many restaurants got rid of screens placed around tables to shield female diners from men.

Ten years ago, most eateries had a notice at the door that said women were not allowed entry without a male guardian. Uncovering would have been unimaginable. On a visit to one last month, young women took off their head covers and fluffed honey brown hair as they took selfies. The male waiters just went about their business.

The cloaks called abayas that women have to wear in public are increasingly adorned with colored designs, lacy trimmings and glittery panels instead of the mandatory black.

Page 15: New base 766 special 17 january 2016

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“There’s more freedom now,” Mona, 23, who works in human resources and was among the diners, said after she and her friend spent more than half an hour posting pictures on Snapchat. “Our parents weren’t so lucky.” New Generation

What those parents did have was the financial boom that made Saudis collectively rich.

Gross domestic product per capita soared to $52,000 by 2014 from about $12,000 at the time of the first Gulf War in 1990. Even during the troughs of the 1980s and late 1990s, wealth burgeoned more quickly because of the relatively lower cost of pumping oil and a smaller population.

Though many Saudis are embracing the changes, the more hardcore are pushing for restrictions.

The conflict played out at the restaurant, where two women covered entirely ordered waiters to comply with rules banning music in public. They did. But after the women left, the sound of Egyptian love songs filled up the place again.

The other side of allowing more openness is "how do the conservative powers that be in society react?" said David Butter, associate fellow at Chatham House in London. "That clearly is potentially a field of political confrontation in the period ahead." Executions

Politically, the kingdom remains in crackdown mode. Prominent human rights activist Samar Badawi was briefly detained in Jeddah this week for questioning. Her brother, Raif Badawi, is currently serving a 10-year sentence for insulting Islam. Hundreds of writers around the world held readings of Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayadh, sentenced to death after being accused of apostacy.

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Saudi Arabia also carried out its largest mass execution since 1980, putting 47 men to death on Jan. 2, including Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. His execution led to the kingdom cutting off ties with rival Iran after protesters attacked its embassy in Tehran.

In the background is the new economic reality after oil sank from more than $100 18 months ago.

Saudi authorities, themselves a driver of the price collapse as the world’s biggest exporter, announced increases to the cost of fuel, electricity and water last month.

The government intends to cut spending this year and gradually privatize some state-owned entities in the biggest shake-up of economic policy in recent history. It comes almost a year after King Salman named his increasingly powerful son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to head the economic council. Aramco Sale

In an interview with the Economist published last week, Prince Mohammed said the country is looking into selling all or parts of oil behemoth Saudi Aramco. He also said it’s vital to create employment as he steers the kingdom away from an oil-based economy, including the possibility of putting Saudis into jobs occupied by foreigners who typically work longer hours for less money.

“We have great opportunities to create jobs in the private sector,” he said, according to a transcript published by the magazine. “At the same time I have reserves now, 10 million jobs that are being occupied by non-Saudi employees that I can resort to at any time of my choosing.”

The prince, who is in his early 30s, has been meeting with business leaders, ministers and young Saudis to address the challenges people of his age group will face. Khalid Alkhudair, 32, who attended one of the meetings, said he felt reassured.

“I’m not worried at all,” said Alkhudair, whose businesses include a company that works on finding jobs for women. “This is the time for us to create our own businesses. We need to roll up our sleeves and do something different.” Bit of Color

Madawi al-Issa, 30, said nowadays young Saudis can start businesses thanks to social media. Hers is emblematic of the social and economic change: she sells abayas online, though not the traditional all-black ones.

Her goal, al-Issa said, is to “change the concept of the abaya from something boring to something you’d want to wear.”

Hathut, the university lecturer, echoed the optimism. But in the meantime, he needs to make some cuts. The first target is to reduce the family’s electricity bill by almost half, to 400 riyals ($107) a month. The children will pocket the difference and are definitely doing their bit.

“My wife says they are driving her crazy, switching off the lights even when she’s in the room,” said Hathut. “I’m glad it’s working. I want my children to become more responsible about spending money. The oil will run out one day.”

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Khaled Al Awadi is a UAE National with a total of 25 years of experience in the Oil & Gas sector. Currently working as Technical Affairs Specialist for Emirates General Petroleum Corp. “Emarat“ with external voluntary Energy consultation for the GCC area via Hawk Energy Service as a UAE operations base , Most of the experience were spent as the Gas Operations Manager in Emarat , responsible for Emarat Gas Pipeline Network Facility & gas compressor stations . Through the years, he has developed great experiences in the designing & constructing of gas pipelines, gas metering &

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Copyright © 2015 NewBase www.hawkenergy.net Edited by Khaled Al Awadi – Energy Consultant All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, redistributed,

or otherwise copied without the written permission of the authors. This includes internal distribution. All reasonable endeavours have been used to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this

publication. However, no warranty is given to the accuracy of its content. Page 18