EU-GCC Clean Energy
Network

The EU-GCC Energy Co-operation

The GCC countries are among the world leading oil and gas producing and exporting countries. The EU is seeking to establish a long term strategic relationship with the GCC countries. Current relations are based on a Cooperation Agreement dating from 1988, putting into place a regular high level framework of dialogue, which aims at broadening economic and technical cooperation as well as cooperation in a variety of fields of strategic importance, including energy, industry, investment, science, technology and environment.

Currently there are several fields of clean energy in which the EU and the GCC have common interest. These include renewable energy (predominantly solar), for which interest has been growing fast in various GCC countries; Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies, which reduce atmospheric greenhouse gases (GHG) whilst also enhancing oil recovery; technologies related to gas transportation as LNG or CNG, as well as gas transformation of gas into clean liquid fuels and other petrochemical derivatives; and Demand Side Management in electricity as well as regional integration of electricity systems, to secure electricity supply on the face of rapidly rising demand. The EU, as the world’s major importer of hydrocarbons and the leading world proponent of climate change prevention, has a well founded interest to cooperate with the GCC countries and support them in successfully addressing clean energy issues.

The NETWORK

The Network aims to act as a catalyst and element of coordination for development of cooperation on clean energy, including the related policy and technology aspects, among various stakeholders in the EU and GCC countries.

The overall objective of this initiative is to enhance EU-GCC energy relations by developing the appropriate structures and instruments for practical cooperation activities of common interest in the area of clean energy technologies. The European Commission provides substancial support for the initial operation of the Network through the project - service contract "Creation and Operation of the "EU-GCC Clean Energy Network" that initiated its activities on 22nd December 2009 and will last three years.

The activities of the Network in the area of clean energy include, inter alia, the exchange of experience and know-how, the coordination and promotion of joint actions between EU and GCC stakeholders, facilitating joint research, demonstration and development of clean energy technologies in the GCC countries, and providing policy support to promote and accompany these actions.

Possible Areas in Clean Energy Cooperation are the following:

The EU and GCC stakeholders participating in the network include, inter alia, energy-related research entities, universities, administrations, utilities and industry.

Click on the following links to read more about the network: