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Qatar and India possess complementary strengths that can unlock substantial joint ventures (JVs) and green financing opportunities across the clean energy sector, an industry expert has said.“Qatar and India have complementary strengths that can support a much broader clean energy partnership,” SgurrEnergy director Arif Aga told Gulf Times in an exclusive interview.Aga highlighted that Qatar brings significant investment capacity, energy sector experience, and international commercial relationships to the table, while India offers a large development market, engineering depth, manufacturing capability, and extensive experience delivering renewable projects at scale.The national sustainability strategies of both countries provide clear alignment for strategic collaboration, Aga pointed out.“India’s ambition of 500GW of non-fossil electricity capacity by 2030 and Qatar’s strategy targeting approximately 4GW of utility-scale renewables by 2030 provide clear areas for collaboration,” according to Aga.Aga noted that the bilateral strategic partnership established between the two nations in February 2025 creates a strong platform for cooperation in investment, technology, and sustainability.He identified three practical opportunities for joint action: investment platforms for solar, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and hybrid portfolios; partnerships in equipment manufacturing, testing, and supply chain services; and hydrogen or ammonia developments anchored by long-term demand.To attract green financing, Aga emphasised that these opportunities must be developed into well-prepared projects with clear revenue models, land and connection arrangements, credible resource assessments, environmental and social safeguards, and transparent risk allocation.He noted that financing structures must distinguish green activities from general transition investments and demonstrate eligibility against relevant frameworks.Aga explained that SgurrEnergy helps bridge the gap between investment ambition and project readiness through its six business segments covering technical advisory, design and engineering, project management, grid dynamics, environmental advisory, and quality assurance.“This lifecycle perspective helps developers and financiers make decisions using a consistent understanding of project risks, costs and performance,” he emphasised.Turning to talent development, Aga stressed that effective knowledge transfer occurs when engineers work collaboratively on active projects and take responsibility for technical decisions.“India’s engineering and software capabilities can support Qatar through joint delivery teams, structured secondments, graduate programmes and applied research linked to operating assets,” Aga stressed.He continued, “Training should cover the full renewable energy lifecycle: resource assessment, site investigations, design, grid integration, BESS safety, construction quality, commissioning and operational performance.”Aga also stated that joint research with Qatari universities could address specific regional challenges, such as desert soiling, high-temperature battery operation, and industrial hybrid systems.He noted that digital engineering tools like Building Information Modelling (BIM), automated calculations, AI-assisted analysis, and digital inspection platforms play a vital role in expanding technical capabilities.Aga stated that SgurrEnergy operates under ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 certifications, alongside NABCB accreditation to ISO/IEC 17020:2012, providing a solid foundation for developing local technical competence.The ultimate measure of success, according to Aga, is the growing capability of local talent to design, inspect, and operate renewable assets independently.On supply chain security, Aga explained that closer bilateral ties can enhance resilience by combining supplier diversification with rigorous technical qualification and long-term service support.For solar PV sourcing, he said partnerships can widen the pool of qualified manufacturers and support factory audits, production surveillance, material traceability, and testing under local heat, dust, and coastal conditions.Regarding battery storage, technical assessments must evaluate battery management, cooling, fire safety, controls, and local service arrangements, while examining upstream supply dependencies, Aga noted.For grid infrastructure, He pointed out that early planning for transformers, switchgear, protection systems, and strategic spares can effectively mitigate delivery risks.Aga noted that SgurrEnergy provides independent technical assurance across these supply interfaces, operating through regional offices in Riyadh and Dubai backed by global engineering resources.“The objective is to build supply relationships that deliver competitive costs, dependable quality and assets that remain supportable throughout their operating life,” he added. 

Qatar and Finland are targeting expanded private sector partnerships, identifying technology, artificial intelligence (AI), clean energy, and education as primary engines for bilateral commercial trade. During a meeting at Qatar Chamber, Qatari business leaders and a visiting Finnish delegation led by Under-Secretary of State and Deputy Minister for International Trade Jarno Syrjala outlined targeted areas for joint ventures and cross-border investment. The two sides explored opportunities for cooperation and partnership between Qatari and Finnish companies across a range of sectors, including investment, trade, manufacturing, security technology, and other areas of mutual interest. The meeting was attended by Qatar Chamber board members Abdulrahman bin Abduljaleel al-Abdulghani, Ali bin Abdul Latif al-Misnad, Mohamed bin Ahmed al-Obaidli, and Abdullah al-Emadi, along with acting general manager Ali Bu Sherbak al-Mansouri. Qatar Chamber Chairman Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim al-Thani called on both business communities to expand trade links and pursue joint projects across advanced industries, healthcare, food security, logistics, and financial services. Sheikh Khalifa noted that Qatari investors are showing increased interest in Finnish commercial opportunities, pointing to existing Finnish investments in Qatar across tech, aviation, digitalisation, and education. Syrjala highlighted that Qatar National Vision 2030 aligns with Finnish capabilities in smart infrastructure, green transition, and advanced industrial solutions. He added that digitalisation, energy transition, and skills development offer immediate pathways for bilateral collaboration. He said there was considerable potential to align Qatar’s development priorities with Finnish expertise, creating practical solutions and partnerships that would benefit both countries. Syrjala further underscored Finland’s commitment to reliability, transparency, long-term partnerships and fulfilling its obligations. He expressed hope that the meeting would deepen ties between the two business communities and lead to new partnerships, investments and opportunities. The Finnish delegation comprised major Finnish companies operating in the fields of defence technology, civil defence, and satellite and space technologies, including ReOrbit, Patria, Nokia, Temet, Verona Shelters, the state-owned Finnish Industrial Investment Company (Tesi), and the Finnish National Agency for Education. Finnish ambassador Juha Mustonen noted that the participating companies are seeking long-term commercial ties and industrial co-operation with Qatari entities.

Qatar participated in the opening ceremony of the 2nd edition of the Oman Climate Week 2026, being held in Muscat between September 14-16 at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre.Qatar's delegation is represented by His Excellency the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Dr Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Subaie.Following the ceremony, HE Dr al-Subaie toured an exhibition accompanying the event.He viewed initiatives, projects and latest technologies that are presented by participating government entities, companies and institutions in the fields of environmental protection, sustainability, clean energy, resource management, circular economy and climate technologies.Qatar's participation in the Oman Climate Week 2026 falls in line with its commitment to strengthen regional and international co-operation and partnerships in climate work and the exchange of expertise and experiences in environmental protection and the transformation to a low-carbon green economy, in a way that supports joint efforts made to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.  

China’s dominance in clean energy has put the country on a singularly strong footing when it comes to competing with the rest of the world — particularly the US — in building artificial intelligence.That’s according to Julian Wentzel, chief sustainability officer at HSBC Holdings, who says an economy built on renewable energy brings with it advantages that can’t be replicated by fossil fuels.“China has put themselves in a very unique position in terms of the energy requirement to fuel their economy and ultimately their AI architecture,” Wentzel said in an interview.The vast build-out of clean energy in China — the country is on track to once again break its own record in installing renewable power this year — “enhances their cost of capital,” he said.Once renewable energy infrastructure is built and the upfront investment has been paid off, producing extra energy carries effectively no incremental cost; fossil fuels, in contrast, require ongoing costs for extraction, transport, refining and distribution, he said.“Once you’ve got the architecture in place, as the demand grows, you can deliver that demand at zero cost,” Wentzel said. As the “percentage cost of every incremental kilojoule of power relative to total GDP declines over time,” it becomes “a very powerful lever to the underlying growth of an economy.”The comments stand in contrast to the policy position of the government in the US, where Energy Secretary Chris Wright has argued that a rapid transition to clean energy will raise energy costs and hurt economic growth. And for now, fossil fuels continue to provide a major share of the energy powering AI data centres.Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella said recently the supply of power, rather than the availability of semiconductors, accounted for the biggest bottleneck in data centre capacity. And by some estimates, the energy needs of existing and planned AI infrastructure in the US can’t be met with current supply.That dynamic has created an opportunity for oil majors to cash in on the enormous demand for energy that will be needed to power data centres. Chevron Corp said on Wednesday it will provide natural gas-fired power to a data centre in West Texas, the beginning of a new line of business for the company to capitalise on the AI boom.The global race to dominate AI depends on an array of factors that includes chips and supply chains as well as rare earths and key metals such as copper. But energy supply is key, and because renewables are low-cost to run once infrastructure is built, countries that have greater access to them have an advantage, Wentzel said.China is challenging developments in the West not just due to its dominance in cheap renewable energy, but also due to its approach to building artificial intelligence. That became apparent earlier this year, when startup DeepSeek indicated the country is capable of producing AI at a much lower cost and greater energy efficiency than US rivals.China’s growing dominance is also shaping talks at the COP30 summit in Belem, Brazil, where California Governor Gavin Newsom took several opportunities to warn that the US risks losing out on numerous fronts.One of the great abdications of the climate fight is “the own goal of the president of the US who simply doesn’t understand how enthusiastic President Xi is that the Trump administration is nowhere at COP30,” Newsom said.The US and legacy automakers “better wake up to that,” Newsom said at a press conference. “This is about economic power.”China manufactures about 80% of the world’s solar panels, supplies some 60% of the planet’s wind turbines, 70% of its electric vehicles and 75% of batteries, all at a lower financial cost than the West.To be sure, though China is adding unprecedented amounts of wind and solar, it’s still investing heavily in fossil fuels. That includes coal, which is one of the reasons the country produces almost 30% of global emissions.Wentzel said economies that rely more on clean energy are also more likely to reduce volatility in inflation.“Removing dependence on fuel commodities reduces capital account fluctuations, exposure to inflation and price swings,” he said. “As renewable systems scale, energy costs as a share of GDP can fall, strengthening the financial efficiency of the system and supporting higher economic growth.”