Saudi Arabia to invest $30-50bn in renewable energy by 2032

January 17, 2017

Jeddah, Jan 17: Saudi Arabia is launching a renewable energy program in the next few weeks that is expected to invest $30-$50 billion by 2032, Energy, Industry and Mineral Recourses Minister Khalid Al-Falih announced Monday.

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Al-Falih said at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi that the Kingdom would start the first round of bidding for projects under the program, which would produce 10GW of power.

He also said that Saudi Arabia is in the early stages of studying its first two commercial nuclear reactors with a total of 2.8GW. Al-Falih told Reuters that, “there will be significant investment in nuclear energy.”

The minister also said Saudi Arabia was working on ways to connect its renewable energy projects with Yemen, Jordan and Egypt.

“We will connect to Africa to exchange non-fossil sources of energy,” he said.

The step falls into the country’s targets set in Vision 2030, launched last year to prepare for a post-oil era following a plunge in oil prices. Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, plans to reduce its reliance on oil and diversify the economy by moving toward sustainable sources rather than depending on fossil oil.

Renewable energy is listed among the sectors to be launched, as the Vision reads: “In the manufacturing sector, we will work toward localizing renewable energy and industrial equipment sectors.”

John Sfakianakis, director of economic research at the Riyadh-based Gulf Research Center, told Arab News that Saudi Arabia has a “considerable solar power potential” that can reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.

“Saudi Arabia wants to balance economic needs against environmental goals as it has considerable solar power potential and is eager to reduce its use of fossil fuels,” Sfakianakis said. “The country ranks high in per capita greenhouse gas CO2 emissions.”

Achieving the ambitious renewable energy program by 2032 needs time, technical knowledge and capacity, and above all coordination between various stakeholders, according to energy expert Mohamed Ramady.

“The fact that there are many stakeholders in Saudi Arabia involved in the renewable energy program, such as KACST, KACARE, KAPSARC and KAUST among others ensures some duplication of effort and above all lack of specific focus for renewables,” said Ramady, a former professor at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.

He told Arab News that whether the focus would be on solar or nuclear energy would determine the policy and would lead to different paths and options in terms of domestic and international cooperation.

“If nuclear energy option is the preferred option, then Saudi Arabia has to assess whether current leaders using such energy like France, South Korea and Finland are still committed to this renewable energy source in the long term and whether their technology transfer and nuclear waste programs can be safely transferred,” Ramady said.

Achieving a viable large-scale renewable energy application is not as easy as it sounds, according to Ramady.

“The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) MASDAR renewable energy model city initiative was a path breaker with mixed success, but from which valuable lessons can be learned by Saudi Arabia,” he said. “However, in the meantime starting off by installing smart electricity household meters coupled with incentives to save energy could help to reduce pressure on the government in the face of potential lower oil prices and revenues.”

The Riyadh-based King Abdullah Center for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KACARE) stated that hydrocarbons would remain a prime element in the energy mix in 2032, by an estimation of 60GW. This will also be supported with nuclear energy at 17.6GW, solar at 41GW, of which 16GW will be generated through the use of photovoltaic cells and the balance of 25GW by concentrated solar power, wind at 9GW, waste-to-energy at 3GW and geothermal at 1GW.

Renewable energy is increasingly becoming a new sector in the country and is expected to expand until the new renewable energy program can reach its target by 2032.

“By creating an entirely new sector for the economy, jobs will be generated as it moves into more advanced areas of the production chain. Job creation for Saudis and a cleaner environment are important goals of Vision 2030 for better quality of life values,” said Sfakianakis.

According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) report on renewable energy market analysis in the Gulf Council Countries (GCC) region, Saudi Arabia is the world’s seventh largest oil consumer. Domestic consumption of oil witnessed a surge in the 2000s rising from 17 percent in 2000 to 28 percent in 2014. The report, published in 2016, estimated that achieving the GCC renewable energy targets could create an average of 140,000 direct jobs per year.

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News Network
April 18,2020

Apr 18: Taking a strong notice of Islamophobia on social media, Princess Hend Al Qassimi, a member of the royal family of United Arab Emirates, called out a series of tweets by a user named Saurabh Upadhyay.

Upadhyay had posted tweets attacking Muslims over the Tablighi Jamaat congregation held in March in Delhi that led to surge of coronavirus cases cases in India. He also gave into rumours of muslims ‘spiting on food’ to spread the virus.

Princess Qassimi shared the screenshots of his tweets and warned that those engaging in racism and Islamophobia will have to pay penalty and will be made to leave UAE. Upadhyay has apparently deactivated his Twitter handle now.

Responding to his earlier posts, she though the ruling family of UAE is “friends with Indians”, his rudeness was “not welcome”.

“All employees are paid to work, no one comes for free. You make your bread and butter from this land which you scorn and your ridicule will not go unnoticed,” she wrote.

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Agencies
July 22,2020

Dubai, Jul 22: Saudi Arabia's Minister of Haj and Umrah, Dr Muhammad Saleh Benten, has inspected the facilities and arrangement made for the Haj pilgrims in Makkah and the holy sites.

Speaking to the Saudi Press Agency after the tour, the minister said that the Saudi government has worked out unprecedented plans for the running of this year's Haj, enabling pilgrims to perform their rituals in ease and comfort.
 
This year's Haj, which has been scaled back dramatically to include only around 1,000 Muslim pilgrims as Saudi Arabia battles a coronavirus surge, will begin on July 29, authorities said Monday.

"The comprehensive, foolproof plans will be implemented by the security, health and service agencies. The plans include the provision of the best health services, and the most appropriate crowd control, strictly in line with the precautionary measures and preventive protocols, formulated by the Ministry of Health to ensure full safety of pilgrims from the coronavirus pandemic," Dr Benten said.

According to the Saudi Gazette, Benten emphasised the eagerness of the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to implement the Haj operation by following the highest health standards and precautionary measures in order to ensure the safety of the pilgrims.

Earlier, the minister inspected the arrangements and facilities for the reception and accommodation of pilgrims at Four Point Hotel in Makkah.

He was briefed by ministry officials with regard to receiving and accommodating pilgrims during the period from 4 to 8 of Dhul Hijjah before leaving for Mina.

Benten also visited the tents in Arafat and the facilities in Muzdalifah.

After that, his inspection tour visited the tent city of Mina, where he viewed one of the towers designated for the housing of pilgrims. 

According to the Saudi Gazette, he was impressed with the services and facilities being arranged for the accommodation and serving of food for the pilgrims.

To complete his visit, the minister watched a visual presentation of the mechanism for providing logistical services for the pilgrims during their travel from accommodation to Jamarat to undertake the stoning ritual.

Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Bin Wasl Al Ahmadi, assistant commander of the Haj security forces for the Grand Mosque and its premises, said on Tuesday that the security plan for this year's pilgrimage prioritises on organisational, security, humanitarian and health aspects.

He said the Haj security forces have installed entry and exit mechanisms from the Grand Mosque during Haj, with passages for pilgrims extending from the southern and western premises of venue as well as special passages around the circumambulation and Saey areas.

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News Network
April 10,2020

Dubai, Apr 10: Saudi Arabia reported 364 new coronavirus cases and three new virus-related deaths, the Ministry of Health announced on Friday.

The total number of confirmed cases in the Kingdom is 3,651, out of which 2,919 are currently active, the ministry added.

Out of the new cases, 90 were recorded in Mecca, 78 in Medina, 69 in Riyadh, and 54 in Jeddah, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, the number of fatalities rose to 47, while th number of recoveries reached 685.

The daily number of confirmed cases in Saudi Arabia has not peaked yet, and has been rapidly accelerating.

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Health had said earlier this week that four different studies showed that the number of coronavirus cases in the Kingdom could reach between 10,000 to 200,000 within weeks.

The ministry spokesman emphasized the urgent need for citizens and residents to remain at home and maintain social distancing practices to ensure that the virus does not spread further.

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