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Saudi MODON, Techno for Advanced Materials Agree to Establish First CNTs Plant

A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)
A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)
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Saudi MODON, Techno for Advanced Materials Agree to Establish First CNTs Plant

A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)
A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)

The Saudi Organization for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (Modon) signed an agreement with a technology company for advanced materials to host the latter’s first plant to produce Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in an effort to empower the industry in Saudi Arabia and support value added industries.

While Saudi Arabia has been working to boost the growth of industrial production, thus increasing its contribution to its GDP, Modon aims to support value added industries and stimulate local companies to expand in this field.

The agreement aims at supporting the specialized company to establish its first factory for the production of CNTs, which stimulate the paint industry and is in line with modern construction techniques.

It comes as Saudi factories achieved positive growth rates in the second quarter of 2018, confirming the vitality of these factories and their ability to contribute effectively to the Kingdom’s GDP.

The country’s economic growth rates started to increase in 2018, with expectations for higher growth this year.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics issued the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) for the second Quarter 2018, which shows the results of the relative change and development in the quantities of materials and goods produced.

“When comparing the results of the second quarter 2018 with the results of the previous quarter (Q1 2018), we find that the production quantities have increased by 4.17 percent in all industrial activities, amounting to 137.87 points,” the report said.

The production increase rate in the mining and quarrying activity rise up 1.89 percent. However, the production growth rate increased by 5.07 percent in the manufacturing industry activity, and the electricity and gas supply activity rise by 83.46 percent.

“Furthermore, when comparing the results of the second quarter 2018 with the results of the second quarter 2017, we find that the production quantities increase by 5.84 percent in all industrial activities,” the report explained.

The production growth rate recorded 16.44 percent in the manufacturing industry activity while the production rate of electricity and gas supply has recorded a decrease of 0.30 percent.

These results coincide with the process of providing industrial land developed at very nominal prices, one of the most important support tools provided by Saudi Arabia to investors in the industrial sector, in addition to the provision of high financial loans to these investors.

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Business

Fire, Smoke Upend Western Canada’s Summer Tourism Season

A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
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Fire, Smoke Upend Western Canada’s Summer Tourism Season

A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)

Severe wildfire seasons are increasingly hurting western Canada's lucrative tourism industry, with some visitors beginning to avoid the busy late-summer months due to concerns about uncontrolled blazes, smoke-filled skies and road closures.

After a scorching start to July, nearly 600 wildfires are now ablaze across British Columbia and Alberta, including a huge fire that this week devastated the picturesque tourist town of Jasper in the Canadian Rockies.

Dozens of communities, including popular holiday spots in British Columbia's Kootenay region, are under evacuation orders and several highways are closed.

This year's surge in wildfire activity comes after Canada endured its worst-ever year for wildfires in 2023, when more than 15 million hectares (37 million acres) burned, including parts of the city of West Kelowna in the heart of British Columbia's wine region.

Ellen Walker-Matthews, head of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, said the industry was seeing a lot more last-minute travel decisions instead of booking in advance.

"It's a huge blow. July and August are traditionally the busiest months in the region," said Walker-Matthews, adding that while her region has been relatively unscathed by wildfires this summer, some visitors are choosing to avoid interior British Columbia altogether.

The members of the British Columbia Lodging and Campgrounds Association are reporting a 5-15% drop in bookings from a year ago, with the biggest declines coming from the hotter Okanagan and Cariboo regions, said Joss Penny, who heads the association.

"The concern is that this is something we have to live with and we have it every year now," said Penny.

Although wildfires in Canada's forests are natural and common, scientists say drier, hotter conditions fueled by climate change are leading to more volatile and frequent blazes.

'SMOKEY SKIES'

Some events, like the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival, usually held in August, have now been rescheduled to earlier in the summer to avoid what is now seen as peak smoke season. The festival, which was cancelled last year due to nearby wildfires, was this year moved to July to benefit from "less smokey skies."

Wildfires and extreme climatic events are prompting tourists to "change their plans not just temporarily, but permanently," said Elizabeth Halpenny, a tourism researcher and professor at the University of Alberta, noting that seasonal workers in the sector are often the hardest hit as they have few protections during a bad season or amid a cataclysmic fire.

Tourism contributed C$7.2 billion to the British Columbia economy in 2022, and C$9.9 billion to Alberta in 2023, according to the latest government data.

Jasper National Park is one of Canada's premier tourist destinations, with more than 2 million visitors a year flocking to see its pristine mountain landscapes and abundant wildlife, including grizzly bears, moose and elk.

Kelly Torrens, vice-president of product at international tour company Kensington Tours, described western Canada as a bucket-list destination. But the company now has 49 trips that were supposed to pass through Jasper this season in limbo. Six others were forced to evacuate the park when the fire hit.

Parks Canada has cancelled all camping reservations within Jasper National Park until Aug. 6 and with potentially 50% of the town's structures destroyed by fire, the cleanup and rebuild could take years.

Halpenny is among those hedging their bets.

"I've booked a campsite stay in the mountain parks but at the same time, I booked a campsite out on the prairie somewhere and that's my backup plan because I don't want to miss out on my vacation with my family."