The Middle East Industry

There is a growing awareness in Saudi Arabia that cybersecurity is a major global priority, and that the Kingdom needs to be adequately prepared to deal with advanced cyberattacks. In August 2015 Saudi government websites, including state education, health, sports and municipal sites, were targeted and breached over the course of two hours....

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...

How can energy storage for solar generation, particularly in emerging markets, be improved?

A rising population and fast-expanding energy-intensive industries will continue to fuel Saudi Arabia’s growing demand for water and electricity in the coming years. In early 2016 Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman Al Hussein, the minister of electricity and water at the time, said that the country expects peak electricity to hit 90,000 MW in 2022. As...

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...