UAE is set to become First Arab Gulf Country to Generate Electricity from Coal

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is set to become the first Arab Gulf country to generate electricity from coal with an aim to turn to cleaner fuels.
Dubai is starting up the $3.4 billion Hassyan coal plant, with capacity being increased from an initial 600 megawatts (MW) to 2,400 by 2023.
Coal will be supplied by Japan’s Jera Co. under a long-term agreement with Acwa Power of Saudi Arabia, which is developing the plant.
The standards for pollution will be based on guidelines for natural-gas plants set by the European Union and the World Bank’s International Finance Corp.
In this region, Oman launched a tender for a coal project at Duqm in 2018, but it was later shelved.
Mostly Gulf countries fulfil their electricity requirements from gas based power plants. This is mainly because the region is rich in oil and natural gas.
The United Arab Emirates is currently transitioning from a 100% natural gas based electricity generation system to a 100% powered by solar, nuclear and other renewables. This is being done in order to reduce carbon emissions.
United Arab Emirates holds the seventh largest natural gas reserves in the world.