With major mining investments underway across the region, the demand for efficient and robust material transport is growing. Long-distance conveyors play a key role in reducing reliance on truck haulage and improving operational performance in challenging environments

As major mining investments gain momentum across the Middle East, operators are increasingly focused on how to move large volumes of material efficiently across vast and often remote project sites.

In this context, material transport is no longer seen as a secondary consideration, but as a strategic component of overall mine design. Long-distance conveying systems are emerging as a compelling alternative to traditional truck haulage, offering a scalable and energy-conscious solution that supports both operational performance and the region’s growing emphasis on efficiency and infrastructure development.

Large-scale mining projects today are defined by greater distances, higher throughputs and more complex site conditions. From high-altitude operations to desert environments with extreme temperatures and dust exposure, material handling infrastructure must deliver consistent performance under demanding conditions. Conveyor systems, particularly overland and in-pit crushing and conveying (IPCC) solutions, are increasingly being engineered to meet these challenges as integrated components of the overall mine design.

One of the key advantages of conveying lies in its ability to provide continuous, electrified transport. Compared with truck haulage, conveyors can significantly reduce fuel consumption, operating costs and associated emissions, particularly over long distances and high volumes. This makes them an attractive option for mining regions investing in new infrastructure and seeking to improve the sustainability of their operations.

As conveying distances and installed power increase, however, the performance of the drive system becomes a critical factor. Conventional drive arrangements, typically based on high-speed motors and gearboxes, can approach their technical and practical limits in large-scale applications. This has led to growing interest in gearless drive technology, which replaces the traditional drivetrain with a slow-running synchronous motor directly coupled to the conveyor pulley.

By eliminating the gearbox, gearless drives simplify the mechanical system and reduce the number of wear components. This results in lower maintenance requirements, improved reliability and reduced downtime — particularly valuable in remote or difficult-to-access locations. In addition, the absence of gearbox losses and the high efficiency of synchronous motors contribute to improved overall energy performance, especially under partial load conditions where conveyors typically operate.

Modern gearless drive systems are also closely integrated with digital control platforms, enabling precise control of conveyor speed, optimised load sharing and advanced condition monitoring. These capabilities support predictive maintenance strategies and help operators maintain consistent performance across the entire material handling chain.

From a system perspective, advances in conveyor design are equally important. The use of horizontal curves, for example, allows conveyors to follow natural terrain and reduces the need for multiple transfer points, improving system availability and lowering maintenance requirements. Fully enclosed conveying solutions such as pipe conveyors can further support environmental performance by minimising dust emissions and material spillage.

While gearless drives are not required for every application, their value becomes clear in high-capacity, long-distance and high-lift scenarios where reliability, efficiency and lifecycle cost are critical. In these cases, a project-specific evaluation often shows that reduced operating expenditure and improved system availability can offset higher initial investment.

As mining development continues to accelerate across the Middle East, the need for efficient, reliable and future-ready material transport solutions will only grow. In this evolving landscape, conveying systems—supported by advanced drive technologies — are increasingly being recognised as a strategic enabler of large-scale project success. By reducing reliance on conventional haulage and aligning with broader goals around efficiency and infrastructure optimisation, they offer a practical pathway for operators looking to build resilient operations that can meet the demands of both today’s projects and those still to come.

For more information on TAKRAF Group’s conveying systems capabilities, visit www.takraf.com

Dana Gas PJSC, the Middle East’s regional private sector natural gas company, has announced encouraging results from its Egypt drilling programme, together with the receipt of additional payments totalling AED 79 million (US$21.5 million), marking the full settlement of all overdue receivables in Egypt and the continuation of payments by the Egyptian Government

The progress achieved in Egypt reflects the combination of an improved fiscal framework under the Consolidated Concession Agreement, constructive cooperation with the Egyptian Government, the closure of all overdue receivables, and Dana Gas' continued investment in its asset base. The full settlement of overdue receivables and continued timely payments have strengthened the business’ confidence in further investment in Egypt, alongside the Government’s ongoing efforts to encourage upstream investment, increase domestic gas production and reduce reliance on imported LNG.

Dana Gas has been actively executing its US$100mn investment programme, focused on stabilising production and restoring growth across its Nile Delta portfolio. The company delivered a return to production growth in the first quarter of 2026, with average production increasing 4% year-on-year to 13,060 boepd, marking the first increase in output since 2017.

In 2025, the company successfully drilled four wells and carried out workovers across three additional wells, adding approximately 30 MMscf/d of production and 36 Bcf of reserves.

More recent drilling activity has delivered results significantly above expectations. The latest well has identified an estimated 10 Bcf of gas reserves, significantly exceeding the original prognosis of 3 Bcf. The result opens up additional development and exploration opportunities across the licence area and has the potential to contribute approximately 12 Bcf of future gas resources once developed. Dana Gas plans to drill four further wells before the end of 2026.

Richard Hall, chief executive officer, said, “The Egyptian Government’s settlement of all outstanding receivables and the return to full, timely payments are important developments that give us greater confidence to continue investing in Egypt. Combined with the progress we have made operationally over recent months, this demonstrates the benefits of the investment programme that we continue to execute. 

"We are already seeing tangible operational results. Production returned to growth in the first quarter for the first time since 2017, and our latest well results have exceeded expectations.

"The most recent well has identified significantly more gas resources than originally anticipated, highlighting both the quality of our acreage and the opportunities that remain across our portfolio. The result opens up additional development and exploration potential and further strengthens our confidence in the long-term outlook for the Egypt business."

Hall also acknowledged the support of the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, EGPC and EGAS, and their efforts to encourage investors in the energy sector to increase domestic gas production and reduce country’s dependence on gas imports.

These efforts are paying off, with a number of discoveries being made recently. They include the oil and gas discovery by Agiba Petroleum Company, the joint venture between the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) and Eni, in the Western Desert; a gas discovery made by Eni in the Nile Delta region, following its gas and condensate discovery in the Temsah concession in the Eastern Mediterranean; and a gas discovery by the USA's Apache, in collaboration with EGPC, in the Western Desert.

See also: https://oilreviewmiddleeast.com/exploration-production/dana-gas-receives-egyptian-government-payment-to-support-drilling-programme

The conflict in the Middle East has disrupted global production and trade in hydrogen-based products such as fertilisers, fuels and industrial feedstocks, exposing vulnerabilities in supply chains, according to the latest edition of the IEA’s Global Hydrogen Review

The report finds that the crisis and the increased focus on energy security are renewing interest in hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels, although low-emissions hydrogen remains at a relatively small scale.

Demand for hydrogen worldwide surpassed 100 million tonnes in 2025, according to the report, while production of low-emissions hydrogen grew by 20% to almost 1 million tonnes. However, persistent barriers including high costs, uncertain demand, complex regulations and a lack of infrastructure continue to slow the development of low-emissions hydrogen, putting 2030 targets announced by governments increasingly out of reach.

"The current crisis has highlighted how deeply economies around the world depend on trade in hydrogen-based products and the significant role of the Middle East in those supply chains," said IEA executive director Fatih Birol. "Countries are looking for ways to make their energy systems more resilient and diversified. Low-emissions hydrogen can play an important role in those efforts over time, but stronger policy support and much faster deployment will be needed before it can make a meaningful contribution at scale."

Fertiliser markets have been particularly affected by the conflict in the Middle East, which is home to around one-sixth of global hydrogen production, the majority dedicated to the production of chemicals, fertilisers and refined oil products. The region accounts for more than 10% of global refining capacity, ammonia and urea production, and close to 17% of methanol production.

The region makes up over one-quarter of global trade in ammonia, almost 40% of urea trade and almost 45% of methanol trade, and one-third of its refining capacity is export-oriented. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has severely disrupted the supply of all these products. The production of hydrogen-based fuels outside the Middle East has also been affected, particularly in Asia, where countries are very dependent on natural gas imports from the Middle East.

Disruptions to production, exports and shipping routes have contributed to shortages and price volatility across global markets with the increase in fertiliser costs posing risks for food supply chains, especially in import-dependent agricultural economies.

Low-emissions hydrogen

Low-emissions hydrogen production grew by 20% in 2025 to reach almost 1 Mt and is set to exceed 1% of global hydrogen production for the first time, but progress is concentrated in a small number of projects. However investment momentum weakened in 2025, with delays to final investment decisions and a shrinking pipeline of projects highlighting the challenges facing the sector.

Despite continued policy support in some markets, low-emissions hydrogen and hydrogen-based products remain significantly more expensive than conventional alternatives in most markets. The pipeline of announced projects for producing low-emissions hydrogen by 2030 has shrunk by around a quarter since last year to 27 million tonnes due to delays and cancellations, and the number of projects likely to become operational by 2030 has fallen significantly.

Demand uncertainty remains a key constraint for scaling up low-emissions hydrogen development, with offtake agreements at low level. This is cited by developers as one of the largest barriers to investment.