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  • Saudi Arabia’s path to carbon neutrality: Analysis of the role of Hajj pilgrimage, energy consumption, and economic growth

    Saudi Arabia's religious sites stimulate economic growth and create green jobs through sustainable tourism. Tourism expansion may raise carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions due to energy use. Thus, this article examines 1970–2019 time series data to assess how Hajj pilgrims, energy consumption, and economic growth affect Saudi Arabia's CO2 emissions. The transport segment is the leading generator of CO2 pollution due to the heightened energy consumption related to travel and tourism (Irfan et al., 2023). The tourism business has been a foremost contributor to GDP expansion in developed as well as emerging nations over the past forty years, playing a pointed function in the globe's economic evolution (Wijesekara et al., 2022).

  • Saudi Arabia targets 130 GW in renewable energy capacity: Minister

    Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said he is confident Saudi Arabia will reach 44 GW of renewable energy capacity, up from nearly 26 GW currently. Speaking at the iktva Forum & Exhibition 2025, he stated that Saudi Arabia aims to achieve 130 GW of renewable energy capacity with a 20% energy reserve margin. This goal reflects expectations for stronger-than-anticipated economic growth, requiring more energy to support expansion. “Without energy, there is no prosperous or fruitful future,” he said, underlining efforts to build renewable energy infrastructure to support the energy transition.

  • Saudi Arabia’s Golden Handshake: A Generous Farewell to Civil Servants.

    Saudi Arabia has rolled out a remarkable initiative called the “Golden Handshake” program, earmarking a hefty sum of 12.7 billion Saudi Riyals to encourage early retirement among its civil servants. This isn’t just any policy; it’s a strategic move designed to streamline government operations and inject new life into the workforce by making room for the younger generation. The essence of this program lies in its offer of financial incentives to those who’ve dedicated years to public service, providing them with an opportunity to step back gracefully. To qualify for this golden opportunity, there are specific criteria set by the program. You’ve got to have clocked in at least 15 years of service and be aged between 50 and 55.

  • Saudi Arabia produces over 80% of its vegetable supply; 64% of fruit and 67% of cattle farmed domestically

    Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) issued its Agriculture and Fisheries Accounts publication for 2023, showing that reliance on local vegetable production accounted for 80.6 per cent of the total vegetable supply in the Kingdom. Additionally, the reliance on local fruit production reached 63.7 per cent of the total fruit supply, while 14.8 per cent of the cereals supply was covered by locally available production for consumption. The results also showed that the total value of local crop production in the Kingdom reached SR38.332bn ($10.2bn) in 2023.

  • Saudi Arabia exceeds 2030 target for regional HQs

    The number of companies setting up their main regional base in the kingdom has reached 571, primarily in the industrial sector, Khalid Al Falih told Asharq Business, an Arabic-language financial portal. The Gulf state, he said, has moved beyond the HQ goals and is working to get global companies to contribute to Saudi Arabia’s economic development. The regional HQ programme is part of plans to make Riyadh one of the world’s 10 largest city economies by 2030 and increase its population to as many as 20 million. These companies will be exempt from corporate tax for 30 years, in addition to relaxed requirements for Saudisation – the programme to increase employment of Saudi nationals – and offering work permits for the spouses of company executives.

  • Saudi Arabia Plans to Deploy 48GWh of Battery Storage by 2030

    According to foreign media reports, the Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) has officially announced the list of prequalified bidders for its first battery energy storage system (BESS) procurement. The state-owned enterprise revealed on December 30 the companies selected for its upcoming Build-Own-Operate (BOO) model tender for a 2GW/8GWh energy storage system. The list of successful bidders includes prominent companies from the Middle East and abroad, such as Masdar, headquartered in Dubai, Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power, and France's EDF and TotalEnergies. Leading renewable energy and energy storage companies from China, South Korea, and Japan are also among the selected bidders. A total of 33 companies passed the qualification review for the tender, with 21 applying to provide technology and manage the BESS and the remaining 12 focusing solely on system management.

  • Lenovo, world’s largest PC maker, to launch factory in Saudi Arabia

    Technology giant Lenovo will further diversify its supply chain and plans to open more manufacturing facilities outside China amid global geopolitical uncertainty, Chairman Yang Yuanqing said. Lenovo, the world’s largest PC maker, has most of its plants in China, a common situation in the electronics industry that creates potential vulnerability as US President-elect Donald Trump threatens to impose 60 per cent tariffs on Chinese imports. Yang told Reuters that while it’s too early to predict the new US administration’s policies, Lenovo has an advantage over competitors in hedging such risks through its more diversified manufacturing base and sourcing strategy, as well as balanced regional revenue streams.

  • Riyadh Metro Orange Line Now Is Operational, Marking Completion of a Citywide Network in Saudi Arabia

    The Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) has confirmed that the Orange Line of the Riyadh Metro, also known as the Al Madinah Al Munawwarah Axis, began operations on Sunday, January 5, 2025. Spanning 41 kilometers, the Orange Line runs east to west, connecting Jeddah Road in the west to the Second Eastern Ring Road near Khashm Al Aan in the east in Saudi Arabia. This newly operational line is a key component of the city's metro system, designed to enhance urban mobility and connectivity. The Orange Line features five stations now open to the public: Jeddah Road, Tuwaiq, Al Dawh, Harun Al Rashid Road, and An Naseem. Additionally An Naseem also serves as an interchange station, linking the Orange Line to the Purple Line. This strategic integration allows passengers to transfer seamlessly between lines, improving access across the capital city.

  • Catastrophic Flooding in Saudi Arabia: Mecca, Jeddah, Madinah Hit by Record Rains, Cars Submerged

    Severe flooding has hit Saudi Arabia, particularly in Mecca, Jeddah, and Madinah, after record-breaking rainfall caused widespread destruction. Torrential downpours have turned streets into rivers, submerging cars, flooding highways, and causing major disruptions. The Saudi Meteorological Department issued a red alert for these cities as water levels reached dangerous heights. Footage from the affected regions shows scenes of cars almost completely submerged, with only the tops of their roofs visible above the water. In Jeddah, a city already prone to flooding, residents were seen abandoning their vehicles and scrambling to safety as water inundated streets. Similar scenes were recorded in Mecca, including the holy city's streets, which have become impassable.

  • Saudi Arabia unveils Middle East’s largest livestock city worth SAR 9B

    The project, owned by Hafr Al-Batin Cooperative Association for Livestock and Marketing, will be located in Hafr Al-Batin Governorate, spanning an area of 11 million square meters. The project is expected to cover 30% of the Kingdom's needs for red meat and provide more than 13,000 jobs in the governorate. It will feature advanced facilities and barns for raising livestock, feed factories, a veterinary hospital, and state-of-the-art red meat processing factories. Further, the project will run on renewable energy through 15 billion kilowatt hours of green electricity annually. It will produce 140,000 liters of milk daily and 100 tons of feed per hour. Moreover, an automated slaughterhouse will be built on an area of 170,000 square meters. The city will also produce 1.5 million meters of hides.