Report: US Energy Chief Wright Heads to Middle East for Nearly Two Weeks

US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright speaks to the media, outside of the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, DC, US, March 19, 2025. (Reuters)
US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright speaks to the media, outside of the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, DC, US, March 19, 2025. (Reuters)
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Report: US Energy Chief Wright Heads to Middle East for Nearly Two Weeks

US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright speaks to the media, outside of the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, DC, US, March 19, 2025. (Reuters)
US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright speaks to the media, outside of the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, DC, US, March 19, 2025. (Reuters)

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Wednesday will launch a nearly two-week tour of three Middle East countries, including Saudi Arabia, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The trip, which will also include visits to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, is expected to help lay the groundwork for President Donald Trump's own visit to those countries likely in mid-May.

It comes at a critical time, on the heels of Trump's surprise announcement on Monday that the US and Iran are having direct talks on Tehran's nuclear program and as global oil prices hit a near four-year low.

Oil prices have fallen on worries that Trump's latest tariffs could push economies around the world into recession at the same time OPEC+ oil producers speed up increases in production.



Aramco CEO: We Will Invest $3.4 Billion to Expand Refinery in US

Amin Hassan Nasser, CEO of oil giant Aramco speaks during the Saudi-US investment forum in Riyadh on May 13, 2025. (Photo by Fayez NURELDINE / AFP)
Amin Hassan Nasser, CEO of oil giant Aramco speaks during the Saudi-US investment forum in Riyadh on May 13, 2025. (Photo by Fayez NURELDINE / AFP)
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Aramco CEO: We Will Invest $3.4 Billion to Expand Refinery in US

Amin Hassan Nasser, CEO of oil giant Aramco speaks during the Saudi-US investment forum in Riyadh on May 13, 2025. (Photo by Fayez NURELDINE / AFP)
Amin Hassan Nasser, CEO of oil giant Aramco speaks during the Saudi-US investment forum in Riyadh on May 13, 2025. (Photo by Fayez NURELDINE / AFP)

Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser said the company will invest $3.4 billion to expand its refinery in the US, a move that reflects Aramco’s commitment to strengthening its presence in global markets, particularly in the integrated energy sector.

During his participation in the Saudi-US Investment Forum, Nasser said Tuesday that Aramco will sign an agreement with the US company Sempra to supply 6.2 million tons of liquefied natural gas annually, as part of the company’s plans to expand in this vital sector.

Aramco is pursuing 7.5 million tons a year of LNG offtake by 2030.

“The US is really a good place to put our investment,” he added.

Nasser explained that Aramco also invests in technology with global companies such as Nvidia, Google, IBM and Qualcomm.

Meanwhile, ACWA Power Chairman of the Board of Directors Mohammad Abunayyan said the company has succeeded in reducing the cost of electricity production from solar energy by 90%, and the cost of wind energy by more than 60%.

He pledged that the company will achieve a similar cost production in energy storage technologies.

“We have made renewable energy sources the backbone of the electricity grid, which is a globally unprecedented achievement,” Abunayyan said.

“Renewable energy has become a permanent source, thanks to the reliance on battery and hydrogen technologies,” he told a panel discussion at the Saudi-US Investment Forum.

Abunayyan said he is optimistic Saudi Arabia will become a digital hub and a global hub for data centers.

“There is no country in the world more capable than the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to provide energy for data centers,” he said, stressing that Saudi Arabia is one of the few countries able to achieve net-zero emissions while maintaining the stability of the core energy grid.