EcoPeace Middle East Desk Study of the Geo-political, Economic, and Environmental Feasibility of a Middle East - Europe Renewable Energy Corridor
Publisher: Qamar Energy and EcoPeace Middle East
Date: 2025
Topics: Cooperation, Governance, Renewable Resources
Countries: Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia
Clean energy is a crucial opportunity to foster sustainable development, economic reconstruction, and peace and reconciliation, between Israel, Palestine and the neighbouring countries of Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
The “Sunrise Region” around North-Eastern Egypt, Jordan and North-Western Saudi Arabia has some of the world’s best combined conditions for solar and wind power. The average daily output over a year of 1 kilowatt (kW) of installed solar panels in a typical part of the Sunrise Region is 5.1-5.6 kilowatt-hours (kWh), and with strong output even in winter, compared to 4.3 kWh in Greece, 4.2 kWh in Southern Italy, and 3.2 kWh in Southern Germany. Wind capacity factors in the best parts of the Sunrise Region average above 50% and are quite consistent through the year, while they may be around 21% in Italy, 22% in Germany and 25-30% in Greece with major seasonal variability.
Renewable electricity and hydrogen can be shared between these countries and exported to Europe via hubs in Gaza, Egypt and Israel.
This will create shared prosperity for the region, accelerate the rebuilding of Gaza by and for its inhabitants, provide economic returns, give the regional countries an incentive to work together and avoid a recurrence of armed conflict, and tie in key external stakeholders including the EU and US.