UAE among leading Arab destinations for energy investment in 2025

The Arab Investment and Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (Dhaman) has ranked the UAE among the most attractive Arab destinations for energy investment in 2025, alongside Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman.

In its latest report on the Arab power and renewable energy sector, Dhaman said the region attracted 360 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects worth over $351 billion and generating more than 83,000 jobs between 2003 and 2024, WAM reported.

Egypt, Morocco, the UAE, Mauritania and Jordan accounted for the majority of these investments, representing nearly 70% of projects and more than 80% of total capital expenditure.

The UAE stood out as the top Arab investor in renewable energy over the past two decades, leading in project numbers, investment value and job creation — with 57 projects worth $88.5 billion and over 16,000 jobs.

Among companies, UAE-based Infinity Power was named the region’s largest single investor in terms of capital expenditure, committing $34 billion. Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power ranked highest by project numbers, while India’s Acme led in job creation.

Dhaman also highlighted strong intra-Arab investment, noting that five countries - the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan and Egypt - implemented 90 joint renewable energy projects worth $113 billion, creating 22,000 jobs. These accounted for roughly a quarter of all foreign-backed projects in the sector over the last two decades.

Electricity generation in the Arab world is projected to grow 4.2% to over 1,500 terawatt-hours by the end of 2025, with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Iraq and Algeria providing nearly three-quarters of output. Consumption is forecast to rise 3.5% to 1,296 terawatt-hours, while per-capita generation is expected to climb steadily through 2030.