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Tag Archives: energy transition

Can Turkey Become a Rare Earth Element Power?

Independent Certification of Reserves and Scaled-up Processing Would Elevate Turkey’s Role in Global Supply Chains of Critical Minerals Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan frames the supposed discovery of 694 million tons of rare earth element reserves in Beylikova, Eskişehir, as a strategic opportunity to place Turkey among the top global producers of rare earth …

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Kazakhstan struggles with energy balance

he Central Asian country is positioning itself as a low-carbon leader, but antiquated infrastructure and a dependence on Russia are holding it back Kazakhstan is producing record amounts of oil for export, with output reportedly reaching 2.12m b/d at the beginning of March, exceeding the country’s OPEC+ quota of 1.47m …

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The China-GCC Equation: Energy, Critical Minerals, and Geopolitical Strategy

As the GCC states undergo economic diversification efforts, they have increasingly turned to China for help—and Beijing has happily reciprocated. The geopolitical environment surrounding renewable technology and essential minerals is changing dramatically as the globe speeds up its journey to sustainable energy. China, which has become the main actor in the …

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Critical Minerals in Ukraine: Harnessing Potential in the Face of Conflict and Geopolitical Shifts

Due to geopolitical tensions and the growing need for minerals necessary for green technology, Ukraine’s vital mineral resources have drawn more attention from around the world. Ukraine, the second-largest nation in Europe, has abundant mineral resources, including sizable amounts of nickel, cobalt, graphite, rare earth elements, lithium, and titanium. Because …

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COP29 and Iran: Overcoming Sanctions, Fossil Fuel Dependence, and Harnessing China’s Role in the Clean Energy Transition

Iran is facing serious environmental challenges exacerbated by climate change, which threaten its long-term sustainability. Rising temperatures, acute water shortages, and increasing frequency of natural disasters such as droughts and floods are placing mounting pressure on the nation’s ecosystems and agriculture. Iran’s heavy reliance on gas and oil, combined with …

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Azerbaijan’s green shift: Energy transition, COP29 commitments, and US collaboration

The following article is based on research conducted under the State Department’s Title VIII Fellowship, for the Black Sea Program at MEI. During summer 2024, the author traveled to Baku and Karabakh and interviewed 15 policymakers from various government ministries, the private sector, academia, the parliament, and energy agencies. Azerbaijan …

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Iran’s Renewable Energy Aspirations and Geopolitical Challenges

Iran has realized the value of its vast renewable energy potential—but serious international and institutional obstacles threaten to derail Tehran’s green energy plans before they gain momentum. Although Iran is one of the world’s largest producers of fossil fuels, the Islamic Republic has increasingly focused on renewable energy to address its growing …

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