Habtoor Group to Open Representative Office in Israel

Khalaf Ahmad al-Habtoor meets with Shlomi Fogel in Dubai. Asharq Al-Awsat
Khalaf Ahmad al-Habtoor meets with Shlomi Fogel in Dubai. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Habtoor Group to Open Representative Office in Israel

Khalaf Ahmad al-Habtoor meets with Shlomi Fogel in Dubai. Asharq Al-Awsat
Khalaf Ahmad al-Habtoor meets with Shlomi Fogel in Dubai. Asharq Al-Awsat

Dubai conglomerate Al Habtoor Group is to open a representative office in Israel, it said on Sunday.

The United Arab Emirates and Israel last week agreed to establish bilateral diplomatic and trade ties, which officials have said would create significant economic opportunities.

The family-owned conglomerate portfolio covers the hospitality, construction, education and automotive sectors.

"We are preparing to reveal a few collaborations in the coming days," the head of Habtoor Group, Khalaf Ahmad al-Habtoor, said in a statement.

"I have been looking forward to this day for a very long time," al-Habtoor said as he met in Dubai with Shlomi Fogel, chairman of Israeli Ampa Group.

"I have always believed that Emiratis and Israelis have a lot in common,” he added.



EUROPE GAS-Prices Continue to Decline

Model of natural gas pipeline and Gazprom logo, July 18, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
Model of natural gas pipeline and Gazprom logo, July 18, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
TT

EUROPE GAS-Prices Continue to Decline

Model of natural gas pipeline and Gazprom logo, July 18, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
Model of natural gas pipeline and Gazprom logo, July 18, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Dutch and British wholesale gas prices continued to declined on Tuesday morning on milder weather forecasts for next week, high wind speeds and stable supply.

The benchmark front-month contract at the Dutch TTF hub was down 0.61 euros at 46.65 euros per megawatt hour (MWh) at 0947 GMT, according to LSEG data.

The contract for March was down 0.52 euro at 46.63 euros/MWh.

In Britain, the front-month contract fell by 2.04 pence to 116.76 pence per therm.

In north-west Europe, although another cold snap is forecast from Friday over the weekend, the latest forecasts are showing milder temperatures than yesterday from Jan. 15, according to LSEG data, Reuters reported.

Wind speeds are expected to remain quite strong today, limiting gas demand.

However, in north-west Europe, gas-for-power demand is expected 36 million cubic metres (mcm) per day higher at 78 mcm/day on the day-ahead.

"Wind speeds are expected still high today, before dropping sharply tomorrow with the cold spell arriving," said LSEG gas analyst Saku Jussila.

In Britain, Peak wind generation is forecast at around 15.1 gigawatts (GW) today and 14.7 GW tomorrow, Elexon data showed.

Analysts at Engie EnergyScan said EU net storage withdrawals have slowed due to a more comfortable spot balance but the storage gap compared to last year remains high. On 5 January, EU gas stocks were 69.94% full on average, compared to 84.96% last year.

Looking further ahead, analysts at Jefferies expect a tight year for global gas markets due to project delays and higher-than-expected demand.

"European and Asian LNG spot gas prices in 2025 could surpass those of 2024, driven by Europe's increased gas injection needs and the loss of Russian exports outpacing the expected growth in global LNG supply," they said.

"Post 2025, the market is expected to loosen with an additional 175 million tonnes of new supply coming online between 2026 and 2030, primarily from the US and Qatar," they added.

In the European carbon market, the benchmark contract was down 0.91 euro at 73.45 euros a metric ton.