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Saudi Arabia, Japan Sign Agreement for Transmission Systems in Neom

Saudi and Japanese delegations signing an agreement for transmission systems in Neom (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi and Japanese delegations signing an agreement for transmission systems in Neom (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia, Japan Sign Agreement for Transmission Systems in Neom

Saudi and Japanese delegations signing an agreement for transmission systems in Neom (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi and Japanese delegations signing an agreement for transmission systems in Neom (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) signed an agreement with Japan's Hitachi Energy agreement and Saudi Services for Electromechanical Works (SSEM) to supply three high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission systems to ENOWA, the utility company for NEOM in Northwest Saudi Arabia.

The agreement will provide one of the world's first 3 GW, 525 kilovolts (kV) HVDC Light transmission systems connecting Oxagon, NEOM's regional development, with the larger Yanbu area more than 650 kilometers away in Western Saudi Arabia.

- Construction and installation

Under the auspices and supervision of the Saudi Ministry of Energy, ENOWA organized the signing ceremony of the agreement, under which Hitachi Energy's scope of supply includes design, engineering, procurement of HVDC technology, and commissioning of the HVDC Light converter stations.

According to the agreement, the SSEM will design and supply the AC equipment portion and perform the construction and installation.

The converter stations convert the power from AC to DC and then back to AC for integration into the receiving grid.

The converters will be sourced by and supplied to Saudi Electricity Company, which was contracted in 2022 by ENOWA to act as their EPCM to build this first HVDC system for NEOM.

- Energy storage

Hitachi Energy and ENOWA have signed an early works and capacity reservation agreement for two additional HVDC projects, each rated up to 3 GW.

Under this agreement, both companies commit to having the resources and capacity necessary to implement these two HVDC systems.

As part of a new scalable and modular regional network design targeted to seamlessly integrate future renewables and energy storage technologies in the NEOM Energy System, it is unique in size and complexity.

The cooperation will also explore opportunities to develop local competencies in the Kingdom, including ways to assemble the necessary HVDC Light components locally and sustainably.

The Managing Director of Hitachi Energy's Grid Integration business, Niklas Persson, said that the collaboration with ENOWA will power one of the most visionary development projects of all time.

Persson added that as the world progresses towards a more sustainable future, expertise, and HVDC technologies are true enablers of the electrification of the global energy system and the transition to renewables.

For his part, the Executive Director of Grid Technology & Projects, Energy of ENOWA, Thorsten Schwarz, indicated that by securing the first capacities for this vital part of the future network within just one year since the decision to use this technology was taken, "we show ENOWA's commitment to supporting Saudi Vision 2030 in collaboration with Saudi Electricity Company and Hitachi Energy."

- Sustainable economy

ENOWA seeks, by its commitment to renewable energy and efficient water management, to become a global reference for industry leaders and set a benchmark for sustainable economic circular systems worldwide.

ENOWA, NEOM's energy and water company, produces and delivers clean and sustainable energy for industrial and commercial applications.

The company benefits from NEOM's greenfield site and strategic location in northwestern Saudi Arabia, with abundant solar and wind resources.

ENOWA will act as a catalyst and incubator for developing new, sustainable energy and water businesses while creating a robust economic sector regionally.

ENOWA is the principal shareholder in the world's largest green hydrogen production plant set to be commissioned in 2026 and will enable NEOM to be a global green hydrogen hub.

The region is designed to be a blueprint for sustainable urban living with minimal environmental impact and enhanced livability.

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China Hits Back at US and Will Raise Tariffs on American Goods from 84% to 125%

An electronic board shows Shanghai and Shenzhen stock indices as people walk on a pedestrian bridge at the Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai, China April 11, 2025. REUTERS/Go Nakamura
An electronic board shows Shanghai and Shenzhen stock indices as people walk on a pedestrian bridge at the Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai, China April 11, 2025. REUTERS/Go Nakamura
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China Hits Back at US and Will Raise Tariffs on American Goods from 84% to 125%

An electronic board shows Shanghai and Shenzhen stock indices as people walk on a pedestrian bridge at the Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai, China April 11, 2025. REUTERS/Go Nakamura
An electronic board shows Shanghai and Shenzhen stock indices as people walk on a pedestrian bridge at the Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai, China April 11, 2025. REUTERS/Go Nakamura

China announced Friday that it will raise tariffs on US goods from 84% to 125% — the latest salvo in an escalating trade war between the world's two largest economies that has rattled markets and raised fears of a global slowdown.

While US President Donald Trump paused import taxes this week for other countries, he raised tariffs on China and they now total 145%. China has denounced the policy as “economic bullying" and promised countermeasures. The new tariffs begin Saturday.

Washington's repeated raising of tariffs “will become a joke in the history of the world economy,” a Chinese Finance Ministry spokesman said in a statement announcing the new tariffs. “However, if the US insists on continuing to substantially infringe on China’s interests, China will resolutely counter and fight to the end.”

China’s Commerce Ministry said it would file another lawsuit with the World Trade Organization against the US tariffs.

“There are no winners in a tariff war,” Chinese leader Xi Jinping said during a meeting with the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, according to a readout from state broadcaster CCTV. “For more than 70 years, China has always relied on itself ... and hard work for development, never relying on favors from anyone, and not fearing any unreasonable suppression.”

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday said China stands firm against Trump’s tariffs not only to defend its own rights and interests but also to “safeguard the common interests of the international community to ensure that humanity is not dragged back into a jungle world where might makes right.”

Wang made the remarks when he met Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Beijing. Wang said China will “work together with other countries to jointly resist all retrogressive actions in the world.”

Trump's on-again, off-again measures have caused alarm in stock and bond markets and led some to warn that the US could be headed for a recession. There was some relief when Trump paused the tariffs for most countries — but concerns remain since the US and China are the world's No. 1 and No. 2 economies, respectively.

“The risk that this escalating trade war tips the world into a recession is rising as the two largest and most powerful countries in the world continue to punch back with higher and higher tariffs,” Jennifer Lee, a senior economist at BMO Capital markets, wrote Friday. “No one truly knows when this will end.”

Chinese tariffs will affect goods like soybeans, aircrafts and their parts and drugs — all among the country's major imports from the US Beijing, meanwhile, suspended sorghum, poultry and bonemeal imports from some American companies last week, and put more export controls on rare earth minerals, critical for various technologies.

The United States' top imports from China, meanwhile, include electronics, like computers and cell phones, industrial equipment and toys — and consumers and businesses are likely to see prices rise on those products, with tariffs now at 145%.

Trump announced on Wednesday that China would face 125% tariffs, but he did not include a 20% tariff on China tied to its role in fentanyl production.

White House officials hope the import taxes will create more manufacturing jobs by bringing production back to the United States — a politically risky trade-off that could take years to materialize, if at all.