Saudi Arabia to Host Energy Convention in May 2024

The Saudi Energy Convention will feature over 250 international speakers and decision-makers. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi Energy Convention will feature over 250 international speakers and decision-makers. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia to Host Energy Convention in May 2024

The Saudi Energy Convention will feature over 250 international speakers and decision-makers. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi Energy Convention will feature over 250 international speakers and decision-makers. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia will be at the forefront of renewable energy, hydrogen, and water advancements as it gears to host the Saudi Energy Convention in May 2024.

The Convention will feature over 250 international speakers leading over 50 conference sessions, providing visitors with essential insights into the latest energy trends and strategies.

The event, organized by dmg events, will be held at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre (RICEC) as the Kingdom's first event designed to focus on energy, hydrogen, and water.

Vision 2030 aims to see the Kingdom become one of the most competitive in the world by the end of the decade, with an economy powered by renewable energy, a burgeoning private sector, and thriving small and medium enterprises.

The Kingdom's ongoing socioeconomic reforms have already enabled it to become the fastest-growing G20 economy in 2022, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), with overall economic growth reaching 8.7 percent.

The Convention will convene leaders and experts across the energy value chain to accelerate and scale the energy transition.

The event will gather the people and solutions required to build a more resilient, efficient, and eco-conscious energy landscape, covering both the conventional and renewable energy sectors.

Furthermore, the conference will address solutions needed for a more flexible, efficient energy landscape that prioritizes environmental preservation.

Specialized sub-conferences will be dedicated to each energy, water, and hydrogen theme, gathering sector leaders to deliberate on vital opportunities and challenges.

President of dmg events Christopher Hudson said the Saudi Energy Convention will be a new focal point for the global energy industry.

The new event is designed to respond to the great investment and collaboration opportunities as the Kingdom leverages its passion, ambition, and resources to provide the world with a new economic and social strength model, he added.

"We look forward to having the Saudi Energy Convention play a key role in facilitating the partnerships, innovation, and investment in energy, hydrogen, and water that can fast-track Saudi Arabia's ongoing transformation and growth," said Hudson.

The Saudi Energy Convention also includes the Saudi Water Convention and the Saudi Hydrogen Convention, providing a 360-degree view of Saudi Arabia's forward-looking energy diversification and economic development efforts.

All these events will create an integrated platform for Saudi Arabia that addresses the challenges facing the entire energy value chain and the pivotal role of hydrogen and water in the energy transition.

The three conventions will jointly showcase the latest innovative solutions accelerating the global energy transition and support Saudi Arabia's goals of seeing renewable energy meet 50 percent of its energy mix and becoming net zero for carbon emissions by 2060.

The conventions will offer direct access to financiers from key infrastructure and utilities projects within the Kingdom, alongside international investors and decision-makers, facilitating new growth opportunities and commercial partnerships.

Saudi Arabia is among the world's fastest-growing economies, with national development plans paving the way for investment opportunities worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

The Kingdom is witnessing unprecedented growth, aligned with the national strategy anticipated to draw in $90 billion in energy investments and $53 billion in water sector investments to cater to domestic demand.

Additionally, the Kingdom is eyeing investments exceeding $36 billion as part of its national hydrogen strategy, aiming to position Saudi Arabia as the world's premier hydrogen supplier.



Washington Urges Israel to Extend Cooperation with Palestinian Banks

A West Bank Jewish settlement is seen in the background, while a protestor waves a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin in 2012. (AP)
A West Bank Jewish settlement is seen in the background, while a protestor waves a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin in 2012. (AP)
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Washington Urges Israel to Extend Cooperation with Palestinian Banks

A West Bank Jewish settlement is seen in the background, while a protestor waves a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin in 2012. (AP)
A West Bank Jewish settlement is seen in the background, while a protestor waves a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin in 2012. (AP)

The United States on Thursday called on Israel to extend its cooperation with Palestinian banks for another year, to avoid blocking vital transactions in the occupied West Bank.

"I am glad that Israel has allowed its banks to continue cooperating with Palestinian banks, but I remain convinced that a one-year extension of the waiver to facilitate this cooperation is needed," US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday, on the sidelines of a meeting of G20 finance ministers in Rio de Janeiro.

In May, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened to cut off a vital banking channel between Israel and the West Bank in response to three European countries recognizing the State of Palestine.

On June 30, however, Smotrich extended a waiver that allows cooperation between Israel's banking system and Palestinian banks in the occupied West Bank for four months, according to Israeli media, according to AFP.

The Times of Israel newspaper reported that the decision on the waiver was made at a cabinet meeting in a "move that saw Israel legalize several West Bank settlement outposts."

The waiver was due to expire at the end of June, and the extension permitted Israeli banks to process payments for salaries and services to the Palestinian Authority in shekels, averting a blow to a Palestinian economy already devastated by the war in Gaza.

The Israeli threat raised serious concerns in the United States, which said at the time it feared "a humanitarian crisis" if banking ties were cut.

According to Washington, these banking channels are key to nearly $8 billion of imports from Israel to the West Bank, including electricity, water, fuel and food.