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Saudi Arabia Begins Using Small-Scale Solar PV Systems to Generate Electricity

Saudi Arabia begins using small-scale solar PV systems to generate electricity. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia begins using small-scale solar PV systems to generate electricity. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Begins Using Small-Scale Solar PV Systems to Generate Electricity

Saudi Arabia begins using small-scale solar PV systems to generate electricity. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia begins using small-scale solar PV systems to generate electricity. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Small-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are ready to generate electricity for houses and enterprises, to be later connected to Saudi Arabia’s grid, announced the Saudi Ministry of Energy on Tuesday.

The systems will help provide renewable energy and enhance local content usage, in addition to encouraging Saudization in several energy fields, in line with Saudi Vision 2030, it said in a statement.

Qualified companies and contractors, which will be responsible for installing and connecting these systems to the country’s grid, will be shortlisted according to specific criteria, it explained.

“The qualification process will compromise several phases, including general assessment of bidders, technical assessment of proposals, approval of bidding proposals and then the announcement of the qualified bidders.”

The project participants are the Ministry of Energy, the Electricity Cogeneration Regulatory Authority (ECRA), Ministry of Municipality and Rural Affairs (MoMRA), Ministry of Housing, Ministry of Commerce and Investment (MOCI), King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KACARE) and Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO).

Meanwhile, ECRA announced the launch of the “Shamsi” portal for the PV system.

The new portal informs consumers of the economic feasibility and estimated costs of installing a solar energy system in a home or business before connecting it to the public electrical network, ECRA said in a statement.

The Shamsi portal provides consumers with an easy-to-use e-calculator that helps in analyzing the financial and technical aspects of the estimated installation cost, and provides various other support services.

“It also allows the qualified consultant to conduct an economic feasibility study of installing the solar energy system,” the statement added.

The e-calculator provides a detailed cost estimate, estimated revenues and savings based on the solar power generated, applicant’s consumption rates, and payback period, it explained.

The authority said the small-scale solar PV systems will have a capacity of no more than two megawatts and are connected in parallel with the distribution system of the electrical service provider.

The SASO, for its part, commenced implementing the requirements of technical regulations for PV systems on Tuesday.

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Saudi Arabia, Mauritania Partnership Aims to Produce 14 Mln Tons of Iron Annually

Mauritania’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Moktar Ould Dahi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Mauritania’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Moktar Ould Dahi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia, Mauritania Partnership Aims to Produce 14 Mln Tons of Iron Annually

Mauritania’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Moktar Ould Dahi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Mauritania’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Moktar Ould Dahi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Mauritania and Saudi Arabia are working to launch a strategic iron mining partnership as part of efforts to expand economic cooperation and boost mutual investments, Mauritania’s ambassador to Riyadh said.

Ambassador Moktar Ould Dahi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the project involves creating “Takamul,” a joint venture between Mauritania’s state-owned mining firm and Saudi Arabia’s Hadeed.

The company, now in the funding stage, would develop an iron ore mine in Mauritania with an annual output target of 12-14 million tons.

The initiative follows a June meeting in Makkah between Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani.

Ould Dahi said trade between the two nations is set to gain momentum, with plans to improve direct transport links to overcome logistical challenges caused by distance and the lack of a direct shipping route.

Saudi investment in Mauritania has risen in recent years, particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises in agriculture and manufacturing. A joint Saudi-Mauritanian business council has been formed to spur private sector partnerships, he added.

Saudi Arabia and Islamic development institutions are major financiers of Mauritanian projects, the envoy said. The Saudi Fund for Development currently has $340 million in active financing, including the King Salman Hospital in Nouakchott and a water supply project for Kiffa.

The Islamic Development Bank has $315 million allocated for projects such as the Atar-Chinguetti road and a specialist maternity and children’s hospital.

Mauritania offers “attractive reserves” in multiple sectors, Ould Dahi said, listing high-grade deposits of iron ore, gold, copper, uranium, phosphates and cobalt; significant confirmed gas reserves with more expected; rich fisheries; strong green hydrogen potential; and hundreds of thousands of hectares of fertile, undeveloped farmland along the Senegal River.

He expects these opportunities to translate into new Saudi-Mauritanian ventures soon, noting growing interest from Saudi public and private investors.

“Mauritania-Saudi relations are at their best,” Ould Dahi said, citing regular high-level consultations, a formal joint cooperation committee and strong Saudi backing for Mauritania in Arab, Islamic and international development forums.

He credited Saudi Arabia for decades of support since Mauritania’s independence, funding key infrastructure from roads, water systems and dams to power, schools and hospitals.