Govt Support Ensures Growth of Industrial SMEs in Saudi Arabia

Small industrial establishments account for the largest percentage of factories in Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
Small industrial establishments account for the largest percentage of factories in Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
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Govt Support Ensures Growth of Industrial SMEs in Saudi Arabia

Small industrial establishments account for the largest percentage of factories in Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
Small industrial establishments account for the largest percentage of factories in Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

The Saudi government provides a wide range of services and support to enable entrepreneurs and owners of small and medium industrial enterprises to transform their ideas into successful projects, which contributes to raising the sector’s production and achieving the targets of the National Strategy for Industry.

The strategy aims to realize an industrial economy that attracts investments, contributes to economic diversification and develops domestic product and non-oil exports, in line with the goals of Vision 2030.

A recent report revealed that the number of industrial SMEs grew by 7.65 percent, while the size of the sector in manufacturing activity increased by 3.8 percent, by the end of September.

The report, released by the official website of Saudi Vision 2030, showed that the number of existing small and medium industrial establishments in the Kingdom in September reached about 11,110, while about 136 new industrial licenses were issued during the same month.

The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources issued 130 new industrial licenses in November, with small establishments obtaining 93.08 percent of licenses and medium enterprises 6.15 percent.

The Saudi government established the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises (Monshaat) in 2016 to organize, support and develop the sector in accordance with international best practices, in addition to enhancing the Kingdom’s entrepreneurship and competitive environment.

The Authority recently said the number of SMEs in Saudi Arabia increased by 3.5 percent in the third quarter of 2023, compared to the second quarter of the same year, to reach 1.27 million.



EUROPE GAS-Prices Continue to Decline

Model of natural gas pipeline and Gazprom logo, July 18, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
Model of natural gas pipeline and Gazprom logo, July 18, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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EUROPE GAS-Prices Continue to Decline

Model of natural gas pipeline and Gazprom logo, July 18, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
Model of natural gas pipeline and Gazprom logo, July 18, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Dutch and British wholesale gas prices continued to declined on Tuesday morning on milder weather forecasts for next week, high wind speeds and stable supply.

The benchmark front-month contract at the Dutch TTF hub was down 0.61 euros at 46.65 euros per megawatt hour (MWh) at 0947 GMT, according to LSEG data.

The contract for March was down 0.52 euro at 46.63 euros/MWh.

In Britain, the front-month contract fell by 2.04 pence to 116.76 pence per therm.

In north-west Europe, although another cold snap is forecast from Friday over the weekend, the latest forecasts are showing milder temperatures than yesterday from Jan. 15, according to LSEG data, Reuters reported.

Wind speeds are expected to remain quite strong today, limiting gas demand.

However, in north-west Europe, gas-for-power demand is expected 36 million cubic metres (mcm) per day higher at 78 mcm/day on the day-ahead.

"Wind speeds are expected still high today, before dropping sharply tomorrow with the cold spell arriving," said LSEG gas analyst Saku Jussila.

In Britain, Peak wind generation is forecast at around 15.1 gigawatts (GW) today and 14.7 GW tomorrow, Elexon data showed.

Analysts at Engie EnergyScan said EU net storage withdrawals have slowed due to a more comfortable spot balance but the storage gap compared to last year remains high. On 5 January, EU gas stocks were 69.94% full on average, compared to 84.96% last year.

Looking further ahead, analysts at Jefferies expect a tight year for global gas markets due to project delays and higher-than-expected demand.

"European and Asian LNG spot gas prices in 2025 could surpass those of 2024, driven by Europe's increased gas injection needs and the loss of Russian exports outpacing the expected growth in global LNG supply," they said.

"Post 2025, the market is expected to loosen with an additional 175 million tonnes of new supply coming online between 2026 and 2030, primarily from the US and Qatar," they added.

In the European carbon market, the benchmark contract was down 0.91 euro at 73.45 euros a metric ton.