Nations around the world are reshaping how energy is produced and consumed. With rising energy demand and increasing climate pressures, the transition to clean, sustainable power has become increasingly important to economic resilience and global energy security, opines Amjad Alqaqa’a, Vice President–Middle East and Africa at John Crane, in this special contribution for LogisticsGulf.com
From the UAE’s solar parks, Jordan’s wind farm, Iceland’s geothermal plants, to Japan’s offshore wind arrays, countries around the world are reshaping how energy is produced and consumed.
Renewables play a critical role in clean energy transitions. They offer a low-cost and locally sourced solution that can be deployed quickly, helping countries reduce exposure to volatile fossil fuel markets.
They are also key contributors in keeping the average global temperature rise below 1.5°C, reducing risks, losses, and damage from climate change. Exceeding this threshold increases the likelihood of more frequent and severe extreme weather events, including heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, heavy precipitation, flooding, as well as significant impacts on ecosystems and climate systems.
Increased adoption
Countries are increasingly adopting renewable energy sources, such as sunlight, wind, water, organic waste, and heat from the Earth, to reduce reliance on imported fuels and diversify their energy mix.
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) estimates that 90% of the world’s electricity can and should come from renewable energy by 2050. In 2025 alone, renewable power capacity expanded by 692 gigawatts (GW), reaching a total of 5,149 GW globally, with renewables accounting for 85.6% of all new capacity additions.
As renewable energy demand continues to expand, countries are looking to build energy systems that are sustainable, reliable, and capable of supporting a round-the-clock supply. One particularly attractive solution is geothermal energy, which taps into the Earth’s natural heat to provide continuous, low-carbon power.
Growing role
Geothermal technology extracts heat from beneath the Earth’s surface, using it for heating, cooling, or converting it into electricity. As the energy source is continuous, geothermal power plants can operate at their maximum capacity throughout the day and year, delivering firm, dispatchable, and low-emissions electricity.
This ability to provide stable energy makes it particularly valuable as penetration of solar and wind power increases, helping balance grids and ensure reliability.
Geothermal energy is gaining increasing attention globally as governments, utilities, and oil and gas companies explore its potential as a low-carbon power source. The total investment in geothermal is expected to reach US$ 1tn by 2035 and US$ 2.5tn by 2050 if next-generation cost reductions are achieved.
In the Middle East, countries are beginning to explore geothermal resources to generate electricity, power industrial hubs, provide heating for urban centres, and strengthen resilience against rising energy demand and climate-related pressures.
Net-zero ambitions
For example, ADNOC and Tabreed have launched the GCC’s first geothermal cooling plant in the UAE’s Masdar City, supporting lower-carbon building cooling while contributing to the nation’s net-zero ambitions and supporting the growth of its renewable energy capacity to 14 GW by 2030.
Meanwhile, EDF Saudi Arabia and TAQA Geothermal Energy Company initiated one of the first utility-scale geothermal projects in Saudi Arabia, aimed at generating clean electricity for tens of thousands of households while significantly reducing carbon emissions.
Saudi Arabia currently holds the largest share of the regional geothermal market at 35%, with exploration efforts focused on volcanic fields along the western Arabian Shield.
The region’s geothermal energy market, estimated at US$ 239.51mn in 2024, is projected to nearly double to US$ 472.86mn by 2033, growing at a compound annual rate of 7.7%.
This growth is driven by technological advancement, continued investment, and national strategies such as Saudi Vision 2030 and the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, both of which prioritise clean, reliable energy sources to support economic development and reduce emissions.
Interest in geothermal
This rising global interest in geothermal underscores the critical need to understand how these systems work and how to ensure they maintain optimal performance at all times.
Geothermal plants operate in some of the most technically demanding energy environments, where turbines, pumps, and compressors must run continuously under extreme conditions. In a typical geothermal operation, superheated fluids are extracted and transported at high pressure through a network of systems.
Any failure in containment, no matter how small, can lead to efficiency losses, unplanned shutdowns, and costly maintenance interventions.
Sealing technologies
Therefore, operators must implement advanced engineering solutions, such as sealing technologies, to enable these systems to perform safely and efficiently. By preventing leaks, reducing wear, protecting machinery, and minimising unplanned maintenance, industrial seals ensure operational reliability and safety in complex operational environments, where performance, precision, and uptime are essential.
The growing adoption of geothermal energy is bringing together a wider network of expertise, innovation, and collaboration in the Middle East. As projects expand, partnerships between governments, utilities, and technology providers are playing an increasingly important role in advancing development and overcoming technical challenges.
These efforts are laying the foundation for a sustainable energy sector that can support long-term economic growth and energy security across the region.
