From oil geopolitics to the water-energy nexus

For more than a century, energy security in the Middle East has been defined by oil and gas. Strategic waterways, export routes, production capacities and geopolitical rivalries have shaped the region’s role in the global energy system. Yet while policymakers continue to debate energy transitions, decarbonisation and the future of hydrocarbon markets, a more fundamental challenge is emerging beneath the surface: water.

The Middle East is simultaneously one of the world’s most energy-rich regions and one of its most water-scarce. This reality is not merely an environmental concern; it is increasingly becoming a strategic one.

As the region seeks to maintain its energy leadership while adapting to climate change and economic transformation, water is emerging as a decisive factor in the future of energy security.

As the region seeks to maintain its energy leadership while adapting to climate change and economic transformation, water is emerging as a decisive factor in the future of energy security.

The forgotten foundation of energy security

Energy and water have long been treated as separate policy domains across much of the Middle East. In reality, however, the two are deeply interconnected.

Oil and gas extraction require water. Refineries consume water. Thermal power plants depend on water for cooling. Petrochemical industries require reliable water supplies. Even renewable........

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