Saudi Project to Prepare Executive Guidelines to Rationalize Sustainable Energy

Saudi Shura Council
Saudi Shura Council
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Saudi Project to Prepare Executive Guidelines to Rationalize Sustainable Energy

Saudi Shura Council
Saudi Shura Council

Saudi Arabia is currently working on enhancing energy efficiency through a huge project to prepare executive guidelines to implement the directives and principles of rationalizing sustainable energy.

This step aims at bolstering the Kingdom’s strategic approach to control energy use and ensure its sustainability in accordance with its Vision 2030.

The Saudi Shura Council has reviewed with officials of the Saudi Energy Efficiency Center the developments of the project in cooperation with specialists from the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs.

The Council’s Economic and Energy Committee held a meeting on Friday to review the annual report of the Saudi Energy Efficiency Center.

The videoconference was chaired by Dr. Faisal al-Fadel and attended by the Center’s President, Nasser al-Ghamdi, and a number of officials.

They discussed the executive and administrative obstacles and challenges facing the Center and the most prominent solutions to overcome the difficulties in order to improve its achievements.

Discussions stressed on means to localize technologies and use digital technology to boost energy efficiency in the Kingdom.

They highlighted the role of digital technology in modernizing energy efficiency and increasing its value, in addition to removing regulatory barriers to innovation and improving access to energy-related data, while ensuring equitable access to digital technology and infrastructure.

The Committee is one of the Shura Council’s several specialized committees with a focus on energy consumption, rationalization of power, and innovation in the sector.

Separately, the Saudi Ministry of Commerce and Investment revealed on Saturday that it has licensed 3.4 thousand shops and stores to announce discounts for commercial establishments and e-stores on the occasion of the Kingdom's National Day during the period from Sep.22 till 24.

These included more than 1.7 million food and consumer products displayed at commercial and e-sales outlets in the Kingdom’s various regions.

Electrical and electronic devices, clothes, and other commodities and other products topped the list of the most discounted commodities.

According to a statement on Saturday, the Ministry’s monitoring teams launched 497 commercial reports about discount violations received by the Consumer Reports Center.

Regulatory measures were taken in accordance with the Anti-Commercial Fraud Law, the statement affirmed.



Japan Cautions about Uncertainty from Trump Trade Policies

 Cyclists ride through an intersection as the Tokyo Skytree (C-behind) looms in the background in the Minowa area of Tokyo on April 15, 2025. (AFP)
Cyclists ride through an intersection as the Tokyo Skytree (C-behind) looms in the background in the Minowa area of Tokyo on April 15, 2025. (AFP)
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Japan Cautions about Uncertainty from Trump Trade Policies

 Cyclists ride through an intersection as the Tokyo Skytree (C-behind) looms in the background in the Minowa area of Tokyo on April 15, 2025. (AFP)
Cyclists ride through an intersection as the Tokyo Skytree (C-behind) looms in the background in the Minowa area of Tokyo on April 15, 2025. (AFP)

Japan's government warned of uncertainty over the impact of US trade policies as tariffs could hurt the global economy but it also said in a monthly report on Friday that the domestic economy was recovering moderately thanks to a solid corporate sector.

Tokyo also said the downside risks to its economic outlook were growing due to US President Donald Trump's tariffs and it warned of the impact of market volatility.

President Trump touted "big progress" in tariff talks with Japan on Wednesday, although it was only the one of the first rounds of face-to-face talks since he announced a barrage of duties on global imports, rocking markets and stoking recession fears. The two nations plan to hold a second meeting later this month.

"The economy is recovering moderately, while uncertainty is arising from US trade policies," Japan's Cabinet Office said in its monthly report for April, issued on Friday.

The government expects the economy to continue recovering but higher US tariffs could impact Japan via trade and market turmoil, it said.

"It is necessary to be more vigilant than before about the impact on the domestic and international economies," an official at the Cabinet Office said.

While consumer sentiment was weakening due to higher inflation - notably for daily necessities such as food, private consumption, which accounts for more than half of the economy, showed signs of picking up, the report said.

The government cut its view of corporate sentiment for the first time since March 2022, saying it was "almost flat" after a Bank of Japan survey showed big manufacturers' business sentiment worsened to a one-year low in the three months to March.