Middle East

8% of the Middle East’s electricity was generated from clean sources in 2024, below the global average of 41%.

Middle Eastern countries are powered almost exclusively by gas and oil, with little coal usage. Gas accounted for 71% of electricity generation in 2024, while other fossil fuels made up 20%, mostly oil with very little coal (0.8%).  

Few Middle Eastern countries have taken significant steps to embrace clean electricity. Carbon intensity in the region is high, with an average of 636 gCO2e per kWh in 2024, compared with the global average of 471 gCO2e per kWh.

The Middle East stands out as one of the only regions in the world where solar and wind have yet to gain much traction, but progress is accelerating. While many countries have less than 1% wind and solar in their mixes (including Bahrain, Iran, and Iraq), several are making significant strides with over 10% solar generation. These include Yemen (11%), Jordan (17%) and Lebanon (30%).

Saudi Arabia aims for 50% renewable electricity by 2030, yet it is still early in the implementation process, with just a 2.2% renewable share in its mix in 2024. That is prone to soon change with a series of large-scale tenders for solar, wind and battery capacity, leading to a growing pipeline of projects. Some of these projects have driven more than 16 GW of solar PV imports from China in 2024, with a further 8.8 GW in 2025.

However, gas investment continues to pour in. Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, and Iraq are among the countries building the most gas power plants globally. Around 16% of the world’s gas power generation is in the Middle East.

Despite enthusiastic words and early progress from Middle Eastern governments about vast desert solar projects, just 3% of the region’s electricity came from solar in 2024 – less than half the global average of 6.9% in 2024. Countries like Iran have not yet managed to get any clean electricity projects off the ground, bar a few small legacy hydro projects.