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Saudi Power Procurement Company Offers Bid for 4 Power Generation Projects

SPPC projects are in line with the Kingdom's ambition to reach zero neutrality for greenhouse gases. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
SPPC projects are in line with the Kingdom's ambition to reach zero neutrality for greenhouse gases. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Power Procurement Company Offers Bid for 4 Power Generation Projects

SPPC projects are in line with the Kingdom's ambition to reach zero neutrality for greenhouse gases. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
SPPC projects are in line with the Kingdom's ambition to reach zero neutrality for greenhouse gases. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) announced the launch for bids of four Independent Power Plant Projects with a total capacity of 7,200 MW.

The company indicated that the four projects are distributed across two power plants in the central region (Rumah1 and Rumah2) and two in the eastern region (Nairyah1 and Nairyah2), with a capacity of 1,800 MW per plant.

All the projects operate using natural gas combined cycle technology with provision for carbon capture unit readiness.

The company stated that these projects align with the Saudi Green Initiative, and its ambition is to achieve net-zero greenhouse gases (GHGs) through the circular carbon economy approach by 2060.

It is part of the Saudi energy sector's endeavors to achieve Vision 2030 goals of improving generation efficiency and reducing costs through diversifying energy production sources.

The goal is to reach the optimal energy mix for electricity production and reduce the amount of liquid fuel used by the country's electricity production sector to achieve the optimal energy mix for electricity production in the Kingdom from renewable energy and gas at 50% for each of them.

In November, under the supervision of the Ministry of Energy, the SPPC signed Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for the Taiba 1, Taiba 2, Qassim 1, and Qassim 2 Independent Power Plants (IPP) with a capacity of 1,800 MW each.

The PPAs for the Taiba 1 and Qassim 1 IPP, with a total capacity of 3,600 MW, were signed with a consortium consisting of the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) as a Managing Member and ACWA Power as a Technical Member.

Additionally, the PPAs for the Taiba 2 and Qassim 2 IPPs, with a total capacity of 3,600 MW, were signed with a consortium consisting of al-Jomaih Energy and Water Company as Managing Member, EDF as Technical Member, and Buhur for Investment Company as Consortium Member.

It comes in addition to the expansion project of Rabigh Power Plant, which consisted of adding a block of combined cycle gas turbine units with a capacity of 1,200 MW.

The Procurement Company previously approved the Saudi Electricity Company to implement this expansion project.

All projects, with a total capacity of 8,400 MW, will contribute to supplying power to around 3.5 million residential units annually.

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Business

Gold Breaks $4,400 for 1st Time on Fed Rate-cut Bets, Silver Hits New High

FILE PHOTO: UK gold bullion bars are stacked at Baird & Co in Hatton Garden in London, Britain, October 8, 2025. REUTERS/Hiba Kola/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: UK gold bullion bars are stacked at Baird & Co in Hatton Garden in London, Britain, October 8, 2025. REUTERS/Hiba Kola/File Photo
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Gold Breaks $4,400 for 1st Time on Fed Rate-cut Bets, Silver Hits New High

FILE PHOTO: UK gold bullion bars are stacked at Baird & Co in Hatton Garden in London, Britain, October 8, 2025. REUTERS/Hiba Kola/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: UK gold bullion bars are stacked at Baird & Co in Hatton Garden in London, Britain, October 8, 2025. REUTERS/Hiba Kola/File Photo

Gold jumped past the $4,400-per-ounce level for the first time on Monday, riding on growing expectations of further US rate cuts and strong safe-haven demand, with silver also joining the rally to hit an all-time high.

Spot gold was up 1.7% at $4,411.01 per ounce, as of 0822 GMT, having climbed down from the record high of $4,420.01 hit earlier in the day. Spot silver climbed 2.5% to hit $69.44, Reuters reported.

US gold futures for February delivery rose 1.3% to $4,444.00 per ounce.

Bullion has gained 67% ⁠so far this year, shattering multiple records and breaching the $3,000 and $4,000 per-ounce milestones for the first time. It is poised for its biggest annual gain since 1979.

Silver has surged 138% year-to-date, vastly outperforming gold, underpinned by robust investment inflows and persistent supply constraints.

"With December usually producing positive returns for gold and silver, seasonality is on their side," said StoneX ⁠senior analyst Matt Simpson.

"Given that gold has already risen 4% this month and we're nearing the end of the year, bulls may want to tread with caution as volumes are to deplete and odds of profit-taking are also likely on the rise."

Spot gold may extend gains to $4,427 per ounce, as it has broken a key resistance at $4,375, Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao said.

Traditionally viewed as a safe-haven asset, gold has been supported by heightened geopolitical and trade tensions, steady central bank buying and expectations of lower interest rates next year.

A ⁠softer dollar has provided an additional tailwind by making the metal cheaper for overseas buyers.

Markets are currently pricing in two US rate cuts for next year despite the Federal Reserve signaling caution. Non-yielding assets such as gold tend to benefit in lower interest rate environments.

Simpson said two Fed rate cuts were penciled in for 2026, with a faster US jobs slowdown and a shift to a more dovish Fed likely to add further upside to gold.

Elsewhere, platinum jumped 4.3% to $2,058.35, hitting its highest in more than 17 years, while palladium climbed 4.1% to $1,784.00, a near three-year high.

Business

UK Growth Revised Down in Second Quarter 

Shoppers fill the pavement on Regent Street in central London on December 21, 2025. (AFP)
Shoppers fill the pavement on Regent Street in central London on December 21, 2025. (AFP)
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UK Growth Revised Down in Second Quarter 

Shoppers fill the pavement on Regent Street in central London on December 21, 2025. (AFP)
Shoppers fill the pavement on Regent Street in central London on December 21, 2025. (AFP)

Britain's economy expanded less than initially estimated in the second quarter, according to revised official data released Monday, dealing a fresh setback to the Labour government.

Gross domestic product was revised down to 0.2 percent in the April-June period from a previous estimate of 0.3 percent, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.

Growth in the third quarter stood at an unrevised 0.1 percent, the ONS said, marking a sustained slowdown from the 0.7 percent expansion recorded in the first three months of the year.

"The economy is still pretty weak and is heading into 2026 with very little momentum," noted Alex Kerr, UK economist at Capital Economics.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has struggled to revive Britain's sluggish economy since his Labour party came to power in July 2024.

Finance minister Rachel Reeves raised taxes on businesses in her inaugural budget last year -- a decision widely blamed for causing weak UK economic growth and rising unemployment.

She returned in her November budget with fresh tax hikes to bring down government debt, this time hitting workers.

The Bank of England last week cut its key interest rate to 3.75 percent after UK inflation eased faster than expected and as the economy weakens.

Business

Saudi Finance Minister Says New Financial Control System Protects Public Funds

Saudi Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan. Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Finance Minister Says New Financial Control System Protects Public Funds

Saudi Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan. Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan. Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan has said that the new Financial Control System constitutes a “fundamental shift” in the control methodology and the improvement of the legislative framework for financial work in government agencies, through a more flexible and comprehensive model that focuses on empowerment and the protection of public funds.

Speaking at the 1st edition of the Financial Supervision Forum held at the General Court of Audit in Riyadh on Sunday, Al-Jadaan said the Kingdom must invest in national talent alongside regulatory reforms to build a modern financial oversight system.

He stressed the importance of enhancing institutional integration between the relevant authorities, especially between the Finance Ministry and the General Court of Audit, which contributes to unifying oversight efforts and reducing duplication.

According to Al-Jadaan, the success of this transformation depends on concerted efforts between regulatory authorities on the one hand, and authorities dealing with public money on the other hand, in a way that maximizes the impact in protecting public money and enhancing the efficiency of financial oversight.

President of the General Court of Audit Hussam Alangari also said that organizing the forum in partnership with the Finance Ministry comes within the qualitative transformation that Saudi Arabia is witnessing in financial oversight during an era in which the country holds a leading global position in the management of public finances, characterized by governance, responsibility, and a high level of transparency.

He told the forum that the General Court of Audit has had strong foundations that have strengthened its role and independence as the supreme authority for public financial oversight and auditing.

Alangari pledged to strengthen the “deep partnership” with the Finance Ministry, describing it as a partnership cemented by trust and built on the foundations of cooperation across various fields.

The partnership has resulted in qualitative leaps, most notably what has been achieved in the exchange of information through full technical integration between the Etimad and Shamel platforms, he said.