Saudi Arabia to Produce 50% of Power From Renewable Energy by 2030

Saudi man looks at the solar plant in Uyayna, north of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (REUTERS file photo)
Saudi man looks at the solar plant in Uyayna, north of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (REUTERS file photo)
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Saudi Arabia to Produce 50% of Power From Renewable Energy by 2030

Saudi man looks at the solar plant in Uyayna, north of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (REUTERS file photo)
Saudi man looks at the solar plant in Uyayna, north of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (REUTERS file photo)

The President of the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, Dr. Khaled Al-Sultan said the Kingdom was working to build a sustainable sector for renewable energy, which includes industries and services, localization of technologies, and the training of human cadres.

The Ministry of Energy approved policies that stimulate private sector participation, he revealed, adding that work was underway to achieve the goals of the National Renewable Energy Program, led by the Saudi Minister of Energy, to make the energy system a unified center for energy research and measurement, data collection, organization, and development, as well as tenders related to renewable energy.

Sultan noted that the Kingdom was seeking to have 50 percent of its electricity production based on renewable energy by 2030, while the remaining percentage to depend on gas.

His comments came in the Kingdom’s speech at the opening of the 11th session of the General Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

Sultan said that the Kingdom has launched several projects and initiatives in this context, including the green hydrogen production project in NEOM and the projects of SABIC and Saudi Aramco to capture, store and use carbon in the manufacture of various products, such as blue ammonia. The latter was approved by the leaders of the G20 and represents a comprehensive, integrated and realistic approach to managing emissions and preventing global warming.



Saudi Arabia Says Will Not Allow Practices That Deviate Hajj from its Objectives

Security commanders are seen at the press conference in Makkah on Friday (Bashir Saleh)
Security commanders are seen at the press conference in Makkah on Friday (Bashir Saleh)
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Saudi Arabia Says Will Not Allow Practices That Deviate Hajj from its Objectives

Security commanders are seen at the press conference in Makkah on Friday (Bashir Saleh)
Security commanders are seen at the press conference in Makkah on Friday (Bashir Saleh)

Saudi Arabia said it would not allow the Hajj to be used for any activity that strays from its religious purpose, as more than 1.5 million pilgrims arrived from abroad by Friday afternoon.

He made his statement during a press conference by Hajj security commanders at the Unified Security Operations Center (911) in the Makkah region.

Officials outlined security, traffic, and organizational plans for this year’s holy pilgrimage, along with related instructions and guidelines.

Lt. Gen. Mohammed Al-Bassami, director of Public Security, said the Hajj security system was fully ready to carry out its duties.

“Our goal is for pilgrims to reach their destination, perform their rituals, and return home safely,” he stressed.

Al-Bassami said crowd management plans focused on regulating pilgrim flows and minimizing overlap between routes. Technology, he said, was playing a key role alongside security personnel on the ground.

He said authorities were prepared for various scenarios based on risk assessments, following extensive drills and field exercises to test the readiness of all security agencies.

Lt. Gen. Mohammed Al-Omari, commander of the Special Emergency Forces at the Presidency of State Security, described the security plans as “integrated, proactive and flexible.” He said security forces were deployed in the central area and the holy sites to protect pilgrims.

Maj. Gen. Dr. Hammoud Al-Faraj, director general of Civil Defense, said preparations for the Hajj season were complete.

“We trained all bodies involved in serving pilgrims on self-protection,” he said, adding that male and female volunteers were working alongside Civil Defense personnel across all tasks and operations.

Maj. Gen. Dr. Saleh Al-Murabba, commander of the Passports Forces for Hajj, said the “Makkah Route” initiative accounted for 30% of arriving pilgrims. He said 1,518,153 pilgrims had arrived from outside Saudi Arabia by Friday afternoon.


Saudi, Pakistani Interior Ministers Discuss Security Cooperation

Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz. (SPA)
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Saudi, Pakistani Interior Ministers Discuss Security Cooperation

Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz. (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz received on Friday a telephone call from his Pakistani counterpart Mohsin Naqvi for talks on issues of common interest.

They also reviewed aspects of security cooperation and coordination.


Saudi Leadership Congratulates Yemen on Unity Day

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA)
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Saudi Leadership Congratulates Yemen on Unity Day

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA)

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud sent on Friday a cable of congratulations to Chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi on the occasion of his country's Unity Day.

King Salman wished the president continued good health, and the government and people of Yemen further security and stability.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, sent Al-Alimi a similar cable on the occasion.