Petroplan Insights

Historically a region that has relied heavily on its vast reserves of oil and gas, the Middle East, is fast becoming a leader in renewable energy. 

Clean energy capacity in the region doubled between 2010 and 2020 to 40GW, with this figure set to double again by 2024. 

The shift has been sparked by changes in legislation as an increasing number of countries commit to clean energy targets and net zero. 

For decades, the Middle East’s energy mix has been comprised almost exclusively of oil and natural gas. As recently as 2019, these two energy sources made up more than 98% of total supply in the region. 

Recent volatility with oil and gas prices has underlined the risks of relying solely on fossil fuels and, as part of the wider push towards net zero, several countries are now seeking to diversify their energy assets. 

The UAE, a leader for renewables in the region, is aiming to increase the contribution of clean energy in the total energy mix to 50% by 2050. Along with a scaling up of solar, wind and biomass, the country is also targeting a 25% share of the global low-carbon hydrogen market by 2030. 

Saudi Arabia has set the most ambitious target of generating 50% of its energy from clean sources by 2030. Solar farms will be the driving force behind the Kingdom’s transition, with the country also investing heavily in carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies. 

Elsewhere, Qatar is among the countries adopting electric vehicle (EV) technologies and plans to transition to an emissions-free public transport system by 2030. Israel and Oman are also taking steps to reach net zero by 2050, generating thousands of renewable energy jobs for local people. 

Some of the world’s biggest and most ambitious renewable energy projects can be found in the Middle East. We’ve picked out three key projects that are set to drive the region’s transition to renewable energy over the coming decades. 

The Neom megacity currently under construction in the northwest of Saudi Arabia promises to push the boundaries of urban design. Its ambitious scope of work extends to energy, with the city to be powered entirely by solar, wind and other forms of renewable energy. 

Neom will also feature what has been dubbed the world’s largest green-hydrogen-based ammonia production plant. The facility is expected to produce up to 600 tonnes of carbon-free hydrogen per day, which will be used as a sustainable alternative to fuel within the global transportation industry.   

Operational since 2013, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is soon to be the world’s largest single-site solar power plant. The power plant’s capacity is projected to reach 5GW by 2030, enough to power 320,000 homes. At its peak, the project created around 1,280 energy sector jobs. 

Alongside the Noor Abu Dhabi Solar Power Plant, which primarily serves the city of Abu Dhabi and holds the current title for the world’s largest single-site power plant, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park will play a key part in the UAE’s push towards net zero.   

Dumat al-Jandal Wind Farm is Saudi Arabia’s first wind farm and the largest of its kind in the Middle East. Construction on the project began in 2019 and the wind farm was connected to the country’s grid last year. To date, it has created over 1,000 wind farm jobs for local people. 

Work on Dumat al-Jandal is still ongoing, with completion imminent. Once fully operational, it’s expected that the wind farm will have a capacity of 400MW, helping to displace approximately one million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year. 

With its sprawling desert terrain and exposure to intense solar irradiation, the future of energy in the Middle East is likely to be led by solar power.  The renewable energy source is set to account for 15% of the region’s power mix by 2030, creating thousands of solar jobs in the process. 

Due to the intermittent nature of solar energy, significant resources have also been allocated to wind energy. New projects in Oman, Egypt and Saudi Arabia will generate plenty of wind farm jobs for local people and industry contractors while bringing the region closer to its clean energy targets. 

The region has also emerged as a leader in green hydrogen. Several trade agreements, including the UAE-Germany Hydrogen Partnership and Saudi Arabia-Germany Hydrogen Agreement, will see the Middle East becoming a major exporter of green hydrogen in the coming decades. 

Similarly, the region has established itself as a hub for the development of CCS technology. Carbon capture will help to reduce emissions from industrial processes while also contributing to the production of low-carbon hydrogen. 

The development of clean energy in the Middle East is exciting news not only for the region but also for the rest of the world. Other countries will benefit from the region’s exports and innovations, creating millions of renewable energy jobs and accelerating the global push towards net zero. 

With over a decade’s experience in the Middle East, Petroplan is perfectly placed to support renewable energy companies and candidates through the energy transition. We recruit for a wide range of renewable energy jobs and can be trusted to find the right fit for any role.  

Contact us today to discuss our specialist renewable energy recruitment services. 

The transition to renewable energy has given rise to a modern-day mineral rush. Increasing investment in green technology has seen soaring demand for the essential materials that power these systems. 

According to the World Bank, production of the planet’s most critical minerals for energy transition will need to grow by 500% over the next 30 years in order to avoid the worst effects of climate change. 

Surging demand for these materials presents new challenges to energy security – challenges that can only be solved through the combined efforts of key players from across the supply chain. 

As with oil refineries and power plants, renewable energy systems are reliant on a wide range of minerals for their construction and continued operation. Generally, these systems require more minerals than their fossil fuel-based counterparts. 

According to the IEA, the production of an electric vehicle (EV) calls for approximately six times more minerals than a conventional car. Offshore wind farms need 12 times as many minerals for every megawatt of electricity produced compared to natural gas systems. 

Elsewhere, critical minerals can be found in the high-performance motors, batteries and generators that power solar farms and green hydrogen systems. The widespread need for raw materials and required pace of transition means that minerals sourcing must be scaled up significantly. 

The types of minerals needed to support energy transition vary by technology. Some elements are essential for batteries, while others are especially suited to motors, magnets or electrical wiring. Here, we explore five of the materials in greatest demand. 

Arguably the most important mineral for energy transition, copper can be found in a wide range of clean energy technologies including wind turbines and solar panels as well as the energy infrastructure that stores and transports electricity. 

Copper is second only to silver in terms of thermal and electricity conductivity, making the metal especially suited to electrical cabling and wiring. On average, clean energy systems consume around five times more copper than those used in traditional power generation. 

Lithium is among the minerals currently in highest demand, with supply set to triple between 2021 and 2030. The metal is the key component of lithium-ion batteries, used to power many EVs and energy storage systems. 

Light and highly reactive, lithium has a unique ability to store large amounts of energy. However, it’s also finite, has an energy-intensive mining process and can be difficult to recycle. Many challenges lie ahead to scale up and make lithium supply sustainable.  

Just like lithium, cobalt is a critical material that’s used widely in rechargeable batteries. Previously, most cobalt had been used in mobile phones and laptops, however this has changed recently with EV batteries now constituting the largest single user of the metal. 

The growth of the EV market will see demand for cobalt more than quadruple between 2020 and 2050. It’s hoped that a significant chunk of this demand will be met with recycled cobalt, which, compared to lithium, is easier to extract from used batteries. 

Nickel is a versatile metal with many applications in renewable energy infrastructure. Like lithium and cobalt, it can be found in lithium-ion batteries, as well as offshore wind farm equipment, green hydrogen electrolysers and geothermal power stations. 

The metal’s strong resistance to atmospheric corrosion makes it suitable for use in extreme environments. While geothermal energy is yet to be used on a mass scale, the IEA expects that the renewable energy source will account for up to 80% of nickel demand by 2040.   

Rare-earth elements (REEs) are a set of seventeen metallic elements that includes the fifteen lanthanides as well as scandium and yttrium. While these metals are actually quite common, they are rarely found in large enough quantities to be extracted economically. 

Several rare earths are key to energy transition. These include neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium, which are used to manufacture the permanent magnets found in the generators of wind turbines and EVs.   

Even under the least ambitious emissions pathway, the supply of critical minerals for the energy transition will need to increase dramatically. Scaling up supply brings several challenges, including resource shortages, trade restrictions and new environmental concerns associated with extraction. 

While many minerals already have an established recycling infrastructure, others like lithium are yet to be recycled on a mass scale. In these cases, it’s generally accepted that new mining jobs and projects will be required to meet the immediate needs of the transition. 

The demand for these minerals is set to create thousands of new exploration jobs in the short and medium term as secondary production is scaled. Increasing investment in minerals recycling will also generate a large number of jobs in renewable energy. 

Beyond the balancing act of primary and secondary production, there are also geopolitical hurdles to overcome. International collaboration between governments and corporations will underpin the transition, with key players working together closely to develop sustainable supply chains. 

Only through a holistic approach that considers the combined impact of minerals sourcing on the environment and communities that produce these key materials will it be possible to transition successfully to renewable energy. 

We’re proud to play our part in energy transition and stand ready to support employers looking to recruit for a wide range of mining jobs as well as jobs in renewable energy. Contact us today to find out how we can help with your talent acquisition process. 

Climate change continues to be a major challenge for governments, businesses and the general public. In order to reduce the carbon footprint and achieve net-zero carbon emissions, it’s imperative to develop clean forms of energy as an alternate to fossil fuels.  

However, this challenge is threatened by financial considerations as the world faces the threat of inflation pressures, including interest rate rises, and energy supply and pricing are threatened by geo-political forces, especially in Europe. 

So far, most governments have focused their resources on solar and wind – two forms of renewable energy that are, by nature, intermittent. While the development of these energy sources signals a big step in the right direction, they alone will be unable to meet net-zero targets and continue to be challenged by storage issues. 

One form of clean energy that could prove to have a similar impact to solar and wind is green hydrogen. Investment into this renewable resource is on the increase, and creating the financial platform on which green hydrogen could fulfil its potential and lead the charge toward carbon neutrality. 

Hydrogen is an important energy carrier used to store and transport energy. Currently, over 95% of hydrogen production is fossil-fuel based. The remaining minority, derived from low-carbon or carbon-free renewable energy sources, can be considered ‘green hydrogen’. 

Water electrolysis is the key process that underpins green hydrogen production. This technique uses a carbon-free electric current, powered by renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and hydro, to split water (H₂O) into hydrogen (H₂) and oxygen (O). 

While green H2 has been discussed as a potential source of renewable energy for some time, only recently has it finally found use in industry. The future for green hydrogen is bright, with the energy source expected to account for up to 12% of global energy usage by 2050. 

Much of the excitement about green hydrogen stems from its potential to bring several “harder-to-abate" sectors – those that are most difficult to decarbonise – closer to net-zero emissions. Chief among these sectors are energy, steelmaking, chemicals and transport. 

The energy sector is the biggest contributor of any industry to climate change, responsible for around 40% of global carbon emissions. Hydrogen is used in the energy sector as an energy carrier in fuel cells, facilitating the storage and transportation of energy across the supply chain. 

Currently, most energy carriers are derived from fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas. Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind continue to be frustrated by lack of efficient storage facilities. 

Green hydrogen, as a low-carbon alternative, has the potential to sustainably store and supply energy in the steps between production and end-use consumption. Green energy generated using renewable sources is an efficient way to create and store low carbon energy. 

Many of the most influential manufacturing industries are reliant on the use of fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas as part of the production process. One such industry is steelmaking, which was responsible for 8% of all global greenhouse gas emissions in 2018. 

The goal with the steel industry is to replace the oil, coal and natural gas used to heat and reduce iron oxide with green H2. Industry leaders have already begun investing in new on-site electrolysis plants and green steel plants that could almost entirely decarbonise the steel production process. 

Hydrogen is already used widely in the chemicals industry. It’s a fundamental building block in the production of molecules like ammonia and methanol which, in turn, are used to make chemical products such as fertilisers and pharmaceuticals. 

Currently, the chemical industry is heavily reliant on the use of grey hydrogen (hydrogen derived from fossil fuels). It’s expected that these high-carbon forms of hydrogen will be phased out from the chemical manufacturing process once green hydrogen production begins on a mass scale. 

One sector in which green hydrogen has already broken ground is transport, with several established car manufacturers now mass-producing fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) for the market. Rather than run off petroleum or even a rechargeable battery, these vehicles use a hydrogen-powered fuel cell. 

The aim is to develop this technology so that hydrogen fuel cells can be used not only in cars but also in planes, trains, lorries, buses and even ships. Green hydrogen can also be used to create green ammonia, a next-generation clean combustion fuel for power plants and the shipping industry. 

With the energy transition gaining momentum, green H2 looks set to play a big part in decarbonising some of the planet’s most heavily polluting industries. The opportunities presented by this renewable resource are vast, with the number of green hydrogen jobs worldwide likely to surpass 5 million by 2050. 

Petroplan has a rich history in delivering renewable energy projects and stands ready to support both clients and candidates as investment in green hydrogen increases. Get in touch today to find out how you can benefit from the industry’s best talent and workforce solutions. 

Effective recruitment is the foundation of any successful business. But in the energy sector, where employers manage a mix of permanent staff and temporary contractors, the challenge of recruitment becomes even more complex.

The ongoing labour shortage in the industry further complicates matters for hiring managers, who are now faced with a reduced talent pool to pick from. In such a competitive market, only the most meticulous recruitment strategy will attract the best talent.

Outsourcing recruitment to a specialist agency is a worthwhile option for employers without the necessary resources or expertise to find the best talent. Recruitment agencies pick up the heavy lifting of selecting and onboarding candidates who slot seamlessly into the business from day one.

As energy companies reshuffle their staff ahead of the energy transition, the task of finding the right fit becomes even more challenging. Here are five reasons why recruitment agencies are best placed to take on this challenge and lead the hiring process for employers in the energy sector.

Unlike most in-house recruitment strategies, working with an energy recruitment agency allows employers to target passive job candidates. Passive candidates – workers who aren't actively job searching – make up around 70% of the workforce and are often the most talented.

Casting a wider net inevitably yields better results when recruiting for roles in the oil and gas or renewable energy sector. A larger candidate pool also allows for more inclusive recruitment, with the removal of bias and use of diverse interview panels a key focus of recruitment agencies.

By outsourcing recruitment, employers hand over the task of talent acquisition to highly trained industry professionals. Experienced recruiters know exactly what to look for in terms of technical and cultural fit and draw on the latest methods to ensure the right match is made.

Identifying the best talent is only one side of the coin. In the energy sector, where skilled workers find themselves in especially high demand, leading recruitment agencies will be able to convey employer branding in a way that sells the job to candidates in high demand.

Global fossil fuel demand is projected to peak by 2025. As we see oil and gas recruitment starting to contract and the focus shifting to renewable energy and other specialised fields like digital transformation, employers will need to target specific skillsets that are currently in short supply.

In specialised markets, recruiters must have industry-specific knowledge and understand the precise demands of the positions for which they are hiring. Petroplan’s recruitment team is divided into five sectors, with each consultant a subject matter specialist in their respective field.

With the help of an energy recruitment agency, employers in the industry can streamline their recruitment process and improve time-to-hire. Recruiters undertake all talent sourcing, presenting only the best candidates to hiring managers for consideration.

Advanced recruitment technologies such as applicant tracking and psychometric testing, which may not be available to employers internally, can accelerate the process. Systems are put in place to guard against delays and fast-track candidates who show the most promise.

The best recruitment agencies work with partners beyond the point of employment to ensure compliance is met and new hires are ready to carry out their duties. Workforce management services offered by Petroplan include onboarding, payroll and HSE.

These services are especially important with contract hire, where the tie between employer and employee is more tenuous. As a second point of contact for employees, recruitment agencies play their own part in the onboarding process, helping new hires hit the ground running.

Petroplan has served the energy industry with strategic talent solutions for over 45 years. In that time, we’ve built a global community of engaged candidates and contractors with skills spread across all types of energy disciplines.

As Champions of Talent, we provide industry-leading permanent hire and contract hire services to our clients. If your company is recruiting, whether for roles in oil and gas or the renewable energy sector, we can connect you with the right candidates.

Contact us today.