Steps taken by national oil giant Saudi Aramco to consolidate some of its downstream assets, most notably in the US market, appear to be laying the groundwork for an initial public offering (IPO) and a move towards becoming a global refining leader. In mid-March 2016 Royal Dutch Shell’s US affiliate and Saudi Aramco’s downstream subsidiary...
One sector Saudi Arabia is pushing hard to develop is its domestic automotive industry. The national strategic plan, part of the Ninth Development Plan ( 2010-14), included automotive development as one of the central pillars of Saudi industrial strategy. In fact, the automotive industry is seen as part of a larger industrial project whereby...
Saudi Arabia was the eighth-largest producer of cement in the world in 2014; however, the slowdown of the economy and the energy price hikes of December 2015 have impacted the sector. While major government-led infrastructure projects are still going ahead – though some are delayed and others may be downsized or cancelled at a later date – the...
At an industry conference in June 2015, Ali Al Naimi, Saudi Arabia’s former minister of petroleum and mineral resources, hinted that his country could phase out the use of fossil fuels by the middle of this century. While some have called this projection unrealistic, it demonstrates the significant political will driving the Kingdom’s...
How can energy storage for solar generation, particularly in emerging markets, be improved?
With some analysts expecting Saudi Arabia’s population to expand by just over 8m to reach 39.1m by 2030, along with continued growth in the Kingdom’s energy-intensive industries, demand for electricity and desalinated water is set to rise considerably in the coming years. Estimates suggest that more than SR500bn ($133.3bn) will need to be...
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