IPA Qatar Collaborates with Siemens, Emerson, Knight Frank, and PwC

1. Investment Promotion Agency Qatar (IPA Qatar) announced the signing of new Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with two international companies, Siemens and Emerson, today on the sidelines of the Qatar Economic Forum, 

2. The Investment Promotion Agency Qatar (IPA Qatar) has announced a partnership with Knight Frank, a UK-based global real estate consultancy to showcase Qatar's real estate industry to international investors.

3. The Investment Promotion Agency Qatar (IPA Qatar) has signed a double deal with PwC, which will see the accounting and consulting giant help the agency attract international investors and expand its own footprint in the country.

What’s shaping CCUS project costs?

1. A better understanding of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) costs is needed before the technology can become a commercial reality on a truly global scale

2. Carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) looks set to become a key element of net zero future. A combination of factors is prompting new project announcements: carbon taxes, government subsidies, operator and/or investor desire to reduce emissions, consumer willingness to pay more for carbon-abated products and the ability to sell carbon removal as an offset.

3. Based on risk analysis of current global projects in development and view of future growth, global capture capacity to increase more than sevenfold over the next 10 years, from 50 Mtpa to more than 370 Mtpa. Over US$150 billion in capital expenditure is required. Accelerated Energy Transition (AET) 1.5 °C scenario calls for 2 Btpa of CCUS, almost six times those projections, with roughly commensurate capital costs.

4. So, while the world determines whether and how to incentivise carbon capture to meet climate objectives, CCUS project developers are beavering away, designing projects that maximise the abatement per dollar of cost. Without improved clarity on these costs, development stumbles and capital does not flow freely.

Investment promotion agencies must be agile to attract FDI

1. FDI flows were strong in 2022, but IPAs face new challenges when it comes to attracting investors.

2. Greenfield foreign direct investment (FDI) has recovered since its near total collapse in 2020, and the past two years have been marked by a prolonged rebound. In the Middle East and North Africa, the growth shown has been significant, and the number of projects in the region soared from 2021 to 2022.

Implementation of Imbalance Cost Pass-Through (ICPT) Rates for the Period of 1 July 2023 to 31 December 2023

1. On 23 June 2023, the Government of Malaysia announced a total subsidy allocation of RM5.2 billion for the next ICPT implementation period from 1 July 2023 until 31 December 2023 to protect ~99% of TNB customers in Peninsular Malaysia from the impact of higher fuel costs which accounts for 65% of the electricity bill.

2. In electricity bill, ICPT is a mechanism that is approved by the Government and implemented since 2014 to reflect changes in the cost of electricity generation, specifically fuel costs every six (6) months. For reference, the electricity tariff schedule in Peninsular Malaysia is unchanged since 2014.