The Middle East

With little rainfall, scarce and depleting groundwater and high consumption per capita (see overview), Saudi Arabia is heavily reliant on desalination for water provision. As a consequence, the Kingdom is now the largest producer of desalinated water in the world and is investing heavily in new plants to keep up with demand,...

Despite possessing some of the largest crude reserves in the world, retaining the crown as the world’s preeminent oil exporter is not always easy. As the Kingdom’s own domestic consumption constitutes an ever-larger portion of its national crude output, the country’s oil producers are becoming involved in a continuous search for...

While Saudi Electric Company (SEC) remains majority state-owned, several initiatives are under way to bring private investment into the sector. Investment is already flowing in the form of independent power projects (IPPs), with some already up and running, and other major projects in the pipeline for the near future. The...

A key component of Saudi Arabia’s continued economic diversification strategy calls for strengthening the role of the most prolific segment of the private sector – small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Already growing at a healthy rate, SMEs can provide valuable employment opportunities for a rapidly growing and young...

Alongside the rapid expansion of Jeddah’s area and population in recent decades is a raft of environmental problems, including the spill of both solid and liquid waste. Over the last decades, limited government funding, inadequate planning and low public awareness have combined to pose a serious threat to the city’s environment...

As the heart of Saudi Arabia’s industrial sector and endowed with a wide array of plentiful mineral and hydrocarbons resources, maintaining effective transportation routes throughout the Eastern Province is crucial to the economy’s smooth running. Seeking to keep vital supplies of petroleum and a growing range of imports and...