Analysis

ECONOMY

As Construction Activity Picks Up, Prices of Building Materials in Saudi Arabia Soars

• SUSTG Team
• |
• 5. 14. 2021

Prices of key construction materials in Q1 in Saudi Arabia soared to the highest prices in 12 years, with steel leading the increase as construction activity began to recover from the slowdown caused by the coronavirus disease pandemic last year.

• Economy

  

  IMF Sees Continued Recovery for Saudi Economy with Real GDP Growth at 2.1% in 2021

  SUSTG Team  |  5. 4. 2021

  The IMF projected real GDP growth for the Saudi economy at 2.1% in 2021 and 4.8 % in 2022 (compared to a contraction of -4.1 % in 2020), according to a statement issued at the conclusion of the IMF staff mission for the Kingdom 2021 Article IV.

• Solar

  

  ‘Rapid Radical Reduction’ in Solar PV Price a Massive Opportunity for Saudi Renewables

  SUSTG Team  |  4. 27. 2021

  A significant and unforeseen drop in the cost to produce solar energy in recent years may enable Saudi Arabia to turbocharge its ambitions to diversify its economy and free up more oil for exports, as the Kingdom continues ahead with the development of several solar installations.

• Diplomacy

  

  Second Round of Saudi-Iran Talks Planned, Sources Tell Reuters; Both Sides Mum

  SUSTG Team  |  4. 22. 2021

  Saudi and Iranian officials plan further direct talks this month, unnamed sources told Reuters, with the aim of easing tensions between the Middle East arch-rivals in a significant move for regional stability.

• Waste Management

  

  Could Saudi Arabia’s Recycling Sector Be Worth More than $18bn?

  SUSTG Team  |  4. 1. 2021

  The CEO of Saudi Arabia’s biggest waste company, Saudi Investment Recycling Company (SIRC), said that the Kingdom's recycling market size could reach $18 billion as the sector remains underdeveloped, according to a report Arab News.

• 

  Saudi Crown Prince Announces Two Massive Green Initiatives to Fight Climate Change

  SUSTG Team  |  3. 29. 2021

• Security

  

  Yemen’s Iran-Backed Houthis Launch Another Drone Attack on Saudi Aramco Facilities in Riyadh

  SUSTG Team  |  3. 19. 2021

  Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group on Friday said it conducted yet another attack on a Saudi Aramco facility in Riyadh, in an attack comprising six armed drones, Reuters reports.

• Bechtel

  

  Stephen D. Bechtel Jr., Grandson of Company’s Founder, Dies at Age 95

  SUSTG Team  |  3. 17. 2021

  Stephen D. Bechtel Jr., who expanded the global reach of Bechtel as chief executive from 1960 to 1990, died Monday at his home in San Francisco, the company announced. He was 95.

• U.S.-Saudi Relations

  

  ‘New Launching-Off Point’ for U.S.-Saudi Ties: U.S. Imposes Sanctions, Visa Bans on Saudis for Khashoggi Killing, but Crown Prince Not Sanctioned

  SUSTG Team  |  3. 1. 2021

  A senior Biden administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity to Reuters, said the approach aims to create a new launching-off point for ties with the kingdom without breaking a core relationship in the Middle East, and amounted to a "recalibration, not a rupture."

• Oil

  

  After Steady Rise in Oil Prices, Saudi Arabia Plans Production Increase – Report

  SUSTG Team  |  2. 17. 2021

  Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil producer, plans to increase oil output in the coming months as a nearly year-long recovery in oil prices is giving the Kingdom confidence that the market has improved enough to reverse a recent big production cut, the Wall Street Journal reports.