Damascus Stock Exchange Reopens After 6-Month Closure 

Officials are seen at the reopening of the Damascus Securities Exchange on Monday. (SANA)
Officials are seen at the reopening of the Damascus Securities Exchange on Monday. (SANA)
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Damascus Stock Exchange Reopens After 6-Month Closure 

Officials are seen at the reopening of the Damascus Securities Exchange on Monday. (SANA)
Officials are seen at the reopening of the Damascus Securities Exchange on Monday. (SANA)

Trading resumed on the Damascus Securities Exchange Monday after a six-month closure, as Syria's new leaders attempt to shore up the country's battered economy and begin rebuilding after nearly 14 years of civil war.

The stock exchange had closed during the chaotic days leading up to the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad in a lightning opposition offensive.

Syrian Finance Minister Mohammed Yisr Barnieh, who attended the reopening, said that it signals that the country's economy is beginning to recover and that the stock exchange “will operate as a private company and serve as a genuine hub for Syria’s economic development, with a strong focus on digital,” state-run news agency SANA reported.

He said the country's new leaders plan to “facilitate business operations and open doors to promising investment opportunities.”

The move to reopen comes as international restrictions on Syria’s financial systems begin to ease. The United States and Europe both last month announced the lifting of a wide raft of sanctions that had been slapped on Syria under the Assad dynasty’s rule.

Last week, Syria inked a power deal worth $7 billion with a consortium of Qatari, Turkish and US companies for development of a 5,000-megawatt energy project to revitalize much of Syria’s war-battered electricity grid.

The consortium led by Qatar’s UCC Concession Investments, along with Power International USA and Türkiye's Kalyon GES Enerji Yatirimlari, Cengiz Enerji, will develop four combined-cycle gas turbines with a total generating capacity estimated at approximately 4,000 megawatts and a 1,000-megawatt solar power plant.



Saudi Arabia Signs 15 GW Renewable Energy Deals in One Week

Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman (OPEC website) 
Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman (OPEC website) 
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Saudi Arabia Signs 15 GW Renewable Energy Deals in One Week

Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman (OPEC website) 
Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman (OPEC website) 

Saudi Arabia has signed a raft of contracts for renewable‑energy projects totaling 15 gigawatts (GW) – among the world’s most keenly priced – accelerating its push under Vision 2030 to cut reliance on oil and become a clean‑power heavyweight.

The deals, sealed last week, are expected to turbo‑charge the kingdom’s green‑energy sector, attracting further investment and innovation while creating jobs in manufacturing, logistics and research.

At an international workshop in Riyadh on “Exporting Renewable Energy and Green Hydrogen”, Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin  Salman hailed the prices Saudi developers secured as even lower than China and India.

“Catch up with us if you can,” he quipped.

The minister said the kingdom could now rival China on battery technology after the latest tender in Bisha and is already exporting green hydrogen produced at highly competitive wind and solar tariffs.

Late on Monday, the Energy Ministry launched the first phase of the Yanbu Green Hydrogen Hub with Germany’s EnBW.

The integrated complex will bundle renewable‑power generation, water‑desalination units, electrolyzers and green‑ammonia conversion facilities linked to a dedicated export terminal, helping meet surging global demand for low‑carbon fuels.

Domestic developer ACWA Power also signed agreements and memoranda of understanding with several European partners to ship Saudi renewables and green hydrogen to the continent, dovetailing with Riyadh’s role in an emerging East‑West economic corridor.

Prince Abdulaziz revealed that Saudi Arabia is working on battery‑storage projects with 48 GW of capacity and on a network of carbon‑capture pipelines and other infrastructure.

The kingdom is simultaneously ramping up gas output and upgrading its power‑generation fleet with “the world’s most efficient” turbines, he added.