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.



Qatar PM Says Gaza Ceasefire Talks Make Some Progress

FILE PHOTO: The minaret of the Great Omari Mosque, which was hit in previous Israeli strike during the war, stands damaged in Gaza City, March 17, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The minaret of the Great Omari Mosque, which was hit in previous Israeli strike during the war, stands damaged in Gaza City, March 17, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo
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Qatar PM Says Gaza Ceasefire Talks Make Some Progress

FILE PHOTO: The minaret of the Great Omari Mosque, which was hit in previous Israeli strike during the war, stands damaged in Gaza City, March 17, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The minaret of the Great Omari Mosque, which was hit in previous Israeli strike during the war, stands damaged in Gaza City, March 17, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo

Qatar's prime minister said on Sunday that efforts to reach a new ceasefire in Gaza have made some progress but an agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the war remains elusive.

"We have seen on Thursday a bit of progress compared to other meetings yet we need to find an answer for the ultimate question: how to end this war. That's the key point of the entire negotiations," said Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who also serves as foreign minister, Reuters reported.

Mossad Director David Barnea traveled to Doha on Thursday to meet Sheikh Mohammed amid efforts to reach a new ceasefire in Gaza, Axios reported last week.

Sheikh Mohammed didn't say which elements of the ceasefire talks had progressed in recent days, but said Hamas and Israel remained at odds over the ultimate goal of negotiations.

He said the militant group is willing to return all remaining Israeli hostages if Israel ends the war in Gaza. But Israel wants Hamas to release the remaining hostages without offering a clear vision on ending the war, he said.

"When you don't have a common objective, a common goal between the parties, I believe the opportunities (to end the war) become very thin," Sheikh Mohammed said at a press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Fidan said talks Turkish officials have held with Hamas had shown the group would be more open to an agreement that goes beyond a ceasefire in Gaza and aims for a lasting solution to the crisis with Israel, including a two-state solution.

Israel resumed its offensive in Gaza on March 18 after a January ceasefire collapsed, saying it would keep up pressure on Hamas until it frees the remaining hostages still held in the enclave. Up to 24 of them are believed to still be alive.

The Gaza war started after Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack. Since then, Israel's offensive on the enclave killed more than 51,400, according to local health officials.