Following a decline in global oil prices for more than a year and a half, in December 2015 the Saudi government announced domestic energy prices would rise overnight. On December 29, 2015 the price of petrol rose from SR0.60 ($0.16) per litre to SR0.90 ($0.24) for Octane 95, while 91-grade rose by more than 65%, from SR0.45 ($0.12) to SR0.75...
With the third-highest defence budget worldwide, how far can Saudi Arabia localise spending?
Saudi Arabia has put in place ambitious plans to raise the value of its mining operations to reach SR260bn ($69.3bn) by 2030. Currently, the direct and indirect contribution of the sector to the Kingdom’s GDP is estimated to be around SR80bn ($21.3bn), with the sector accounting for 265,000 jobs, according to a speech made by Ali Al Naimi,...
Saudi Arabia has long been reliant on the upstream petrochemicals industry, but the Kingdom is accelerating efforts to diversify its economy and has some clear sector-specific industries it is looking to develop. Plastics, fertilisers, mining and metals are particularly attractive, and a strong push is likely to come in the near future in the...
Saudi Arabia has long been a major investor in its military, with defence outlays representing a significant portion of the national budget. Despite the drop in oil prices since mid-2014, which in the short term is having a noticeable impact on the government’s military spending, defence spending is likely to continue to grow, with multi-...
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...
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