Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy giant Masdar has taken a major step in its European expansion, closing a €368m transaction with Spanish utility Endesa that secures 446 megawatts (MW) of operational solar power across the Iberian Peninsula.

The deal, announced Thursday, sees the UAE energy company acquire a 49.99 per cent stake in four solar photovoltaic (PV) plants from Enel Green Power España, a subsidiary of Endesa.

Masdar’s commitment includes €69m in equity investment, supported by €115m in acquisition financing. With this transaction, the company lifts its gross operational capacity in the Iberian Peninsula to 3.2 gigawatts (GW), underlining Spain’s growing role as Masdar’s European hub.

The agreement builds on an earlier milestone in 2024, when Masdar partnered with Endesa to acquire a 49.99 per cent share in 2 GW of solar assets – one of Spain’s largest renewable energy transactions in recent years. That deal also mapped out up to 0.5 GW of battery storage.

“This acquisition is aligned with Masdar’s broader global strategy to expand our renewable energy capacity and further demonstrates our long-term commitment to Europe,” said Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO of Masdar.

“We are confident that further strengthening our partnership with Endesa through this deal will play a crucial role in the development of the Spanish renewable energy sector. As one of the most important energy transformation markets in Europe, Spain will continue to be a key focus for Masdar for years to come.”

Flavio Cattaneo, CEO of Enel Group, described the move as a mileston of the two firms’ partnership.

“We are pleased with the closing of this transaction which represents another milestone in Enel’s long-term partnership with Masdar. We look forward to continuing to work together in accelerating the energy transition,” he said in a statement.

Scaling presence in Spain

The deal comes less than a year after Masdar acquired Saeta Yield, a €1.2bn Iberian renewables platform with a 2.3 GW portfolio, which now serves as the company’s operational base in the region. Spain’s dynamic solar market, clear regulatory frameworks, and ambitious energy targets have made it a cornerstone of Masdar’s European growth strategy.

For Masdar, which is jointly owned by TAQA, ADNOC, and Mubadala, the latest acquisition reinforces a global push towards 100 GW of renewable capacity by 2030. The company has already built a presence in more than 40 countries with projects spanning solar, wind, battery storage and green hydrogen.

Spain, meanwhile, continues to be one of Europe’s most attractive renewables markets. Earlier this year, Masdar and Enel Group signed a memorandum of understanding to explore renewable opportunities across Spain, Italy and Germany.

Spain’s energy backdrop

Renewables generated a record 56 per cent of Spain’s electricity in 2024, according to national grid operator Red Eléctrica. Wind and solar contributed nearly half of the total, at 22 per cent and 21 per cent respectively, with nuclear supplying about 20 per cent. Fossil fuels provided the remainder, around 23 per cent, underscoring the scale of the country’s energy transition challenge.

This was highlighted in April this year, when a massive blackout swept across the Iberian Peninsula. Triggered by a cascade of grid imbalances, the outage left large parts of Spain and Portugal without electricity for several hours.

IBM, a global leader in hybrid cloud, AI, and consulting, and nybl, a science-based AI company and IBM Business Partner, have announced a new collaboration to drive AI adoption across critical infrastructure sectors such as energy, utilities, and industrial operations. The partnership combines IBM’s watsonx portfolio of AI products, particularly watsonx.governance, with nybl’s domain-specific expertise to enhance operational resilience, improve efficiency, and deliver stronger business value.

AI-powered asset and operations management

At the core of the collaboration is nybl’s n.vision platform, now integrated with IBM’s watsonx AI and data platform, its AI governance capabilities, and the IBM Maximo Application Suite. Together, these technologies provide secure, intelligent asset and operations management tools that reduce costs, improve safety, and boost overall performance. watsonx.governance underpins this integration by ensuring transparency, compliance, and lifecycle AI management.

The solution also leverages IBM Maximo Visual Inspection (MVI) to embed AI-driven visual intelligence into industrial operations. n.vision processes vast amounts of imagery data from drones and cameras to detect faults, predict equipment failures, and recommend prescriptive actions to avoid unplanned downtime. By automating inspections and quality checks, it streamlines workflows while maintaining rigorous operational standards.

Purpose-built AI for real-world outcomes

The platform integrates nybl’s proprietary AI models with a high-performance data engine and user-friendly interface. Its key modules include Director, enabling real-time analytics and decision-making, and Stage, which visualizes insights to support faster, smarter operational responses. The result is improved asset uptime, reliability, efficiency, and safety.

“At IBM, we believe the future of industry is AI-powered, and our watsonx platform is built to help clients scale trustworthy AI across their business,” said Zaidoun Arbad, VP – Ecosystem, IBM Middle East and Africa. “By combining nybl’s domain-specific innovation with IBM’s enterprise AI capabilities, including Maximo and watsonx, we are enabling clients to transform operations and make smarter decisions in real time.”

Noor Alnahhas, founder and CEO of nybl and a member of Dubai’s official AI and Ethics Advisory Board, added: “At nybl, we build AI grounded in science and driven by a commitment to ethical impact. Our mission is to solve some of humanity’s most critical challenges across sectors like energy, power, water, agriculture, and healthcare. This collaboration with IBM significantly amplifies our ability to scale that impact globally, combining nybl’s domain-specific innovation with IBM’s enterprise-grade platforms to deliver real, measurable value where it’s needed most.”

Read: Why UAE businesses are ahead in AI adoption, reveals IBM’s Lula Mohanty

Scaling Middle East innovation globally

The collaboration underscores a shared mission to deploy advanced, purpose-built AI in industries that directly serve humanity. It also strengthens IBM’s global portfolio by incorporating nybl’s cutting-edge solutions, while advancing nybl’s ambition to export homegrown innovation from the Middle East to global markets—solidifying the region’s growing influence in shaping the future of technology.

Saudi National Shipping Company (Bahri) has placed an order for six dry bulk carriers from International Maritime Industries (IMI), marking the launch of the kingdom’s first large-scale shipbuilding project.

The vessels will be built at IMI’s shipyard in Ras Al-Khair, described as the most advanced full-service maritime facility in the Middle East and North Africa.

The deal underlines Saudi Arabia’s ambition to establish a globally competitive maritime ecosystem under its Vision 2030 economic diversification plan and the Saudi Inc initiative, aimed at boosting supply chain localisation.

Defining moment for Saudi’s maritime industry: Bahri CEO

“This agreement marks a strategic milestone for Bahri and a defining moment for the maritime industry in the kingdom,” Bahri chief executive Ahmed Ali Al-Subaey said in a statement. “Through our partnership with International Maritime Industries to launch the first large-scale national shipbuilding program, we are not only modernising our fleet but also laying the foundations for a sustainable and globally competitive maritime sector.”

Al-Subaey added that the new carriers will expand Bahri’s service in strategic markets, strengthen supply chain resilience and deliver long-term value to customers and stakeholders, in line with Saudi Vision 2030 objectives.

The new geared Ultramax vessels are designed to provide operational flexibility and efficiency, with the ability to access ports with limited infrastructure.

Bahri said this would allow it to tap into niche markets and emerging trade routes, reducing exposure to market volatility while improving competitiveness and sustainability.

Space42, the UAE-based AI-driven SpaceTech company, has released its Foresight Constellation Viewpoint, a comprehensive analysis of the strategic value of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite ecosystems. Against a backdrop of record infrastructure and defense spending, combined with mounting environmental and security challenges, the report highlights why traditional Earth observation systems are no longer enough. It shows how SAR advancements enhance government decision-making and risk management when it matters most.

From visibility to value

SAR’s strength is most evident in crisis situations. On February 6, 2023, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Turkey. Tremors reached the Atatürk Dam, one of the region’s largest, holding nearly 49 billion cubic meters of water. Emergency teams urgently needed to know whether the dam’s integrity had been compromised.

Conventional monitoring failed when needed most: optical satellites were obscured by cloud cover, and ground sensors collapsed. SAR satellites, however, continued operating in all conditions. The resulting imagery confirmed the dam’s safety, allowing emergency teams to prioritise response. This, the report notes, proved SAR’s practical and strategic value.

From blind spots to breakthroughs: the Space42 advantage

Space42’s Foresight Constellation provides persistent, high-resolution imaging regardless of weather. Its AI platform, GIQ, transforms raw data into decision-grade insights within minutes. This layered system equips governments with rapid intelligence to support emergency response and predictive planning.

The impact is measurable. Predictive maintenance costs can drop by up to 30 per cent, emergency response can improve by as much as 90 per cent, and inefficiencies can decline by 25 per cent. Such gains can translate into billions in savings for governments and industries.

A sovereign strategic asset

The report stresses that efficiency alone is not enough. “In an era of globalisation and climate change, the ability to generate and analyze data independently is a key indicator of sovereign resilience.” Dependence on external monitoring can create vulnerabilities when independent authority is required.

By enabling governments to capture and interpret geospatial intelligence locally, platforms like GIQ reduce reliance on third parties. The global SAR market is forecast to nearly double from $5.8 billion to $9.8bn by 2030, shifting from a technological advantage to an operational necessity. Nations investing in sovereign SAR ecosystems today are positioning themselves for resilience and autonomy tomorrow.

Vision that never blinks

In a world defined by uncertainty, leadership depends on foresight and precision. Integrated SAR ecosystems, according to the Foresight Constellation Viewpoint, are fast becoming the backbone of sovereign, smarter, and more agile decision-making.

Read: Space42 to develop UAE’s first sovereign mobility cloud with Microsoft and Core42

For national leaders, infrastructure planners, and defense strategists, the message is clear: the competitive edge lies in transforming visibility into value. The full report sets out how governments can unlock billions in savings while strengthening sovereignty.

Saudi Aramco has signed a joint development agreement with US industrial group Honeywell (HON.O) and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) to advance a new technology for converting crude oil directly into chemicals.

The deal aims to cut the cost of crude-to-chemicals (CTC) processes and increase the value extracted from each barrel of oil by producing light olefins and other high-demand products. The companies said the approach could improve fuel efficiency, carbon utilisation and overall process economics.

“This collaboration with Honeywell UOP and KAUST furthers Aramco’s efforts to drive innovation and shape the future of petrochemicals,” said Ali A Al-Meshari, Aramco’s senior vice president for technology oversight and coordination.

“By harnessing cutting-edge technologies, we aim to enhance energy efficiency and unlock increased value from every barrel of crude.”

Honeywell exec calls deal a key move to build CTC tech

Rajesh Gattupalli, president of Honeywell UOP, called the agreement “a defining moment” in the evolution of CTC technology, adding that the partnership was expected to reduce emissions and strengthen Saudi Arabia’s position in the global chemicals market.

KAUST’s participation brings academic research into the collaboration. Ian Campbell, senior vice president at KAUST’s National Transformation Institute, said the project was an example of how science could be translated into industrial applications to support the kingdom’s innovation-driven economy.

The three organisations said the initiative supports Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which seeks to diversify the economy beyond oil by developing downstream industries and building national technology capabilities.