Saudi Gov’t Agencies to Submit Actual Values of Performance Indicators

 Saudi Arabia obligates entities with performance indicators to follow up on the initiatives of the Kingdom’s national transformation plan, Vision 2030 (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia obligates entities with performance indicators to follow up on the initiatives of the Kingdom’s national transformation plan, Vision 2030 (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Gov’t Agencies to Submit Actual Values of Performance Indicators

 Saudi Arabia obligates entities with performance indicators to follow up on the initiatives of the Kingdom’s national transformation plan, Vision 2030 (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia obligates entities with performance indicators to follow up on the initiatives of the Kingdom’s national transformation plan, Vision 2030 (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi authorities approved the National Center for Performance Measurement “Adaa” recommendation to have all government agencies commit to submitting the actual value of their performance measurement indicators on Adaa’s integrated platform.

Actual values must be presented by state agencies periodically and in coordination with Adaa’s quarterly report. In the case of challenges arising, all issues about the indicators must be resolved 30 days before the start of each quarter.

Adaa is an independent government body. It was founded in 2016 after the Council of Ministers approved its establishment, based on the recommendation of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs.

The center reports directly to the prime minister. It aims to build and initialize performance measurement processes in public entities by providing the necessary support by utilizing unified tools and models that assist public entities in their ability and efficiency to deliver better performance.

Moreover, Adaa publishes quarterly reports on the delivery progress of strategic goals, initiatives, and key performance indicators (KPIs) of public entities to track their development in realizing the Saudi national transformation plan, Vision 2030, in addition to measuring beneficiary satisfaction on public services.

Adaa’s mission includes implementing processes that measure public entity performance and support achieving the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, associated development plans, and improving communication with beneficiaries.

The center works to continuously build and develop performance measurement tools and indicators, deliver reports on the performance of public entities, which can be employed in developing government performance, and support the process of developing public services by measuring the quality of services and beneficiary satisfaction.

Supporting public entities in achieving their strategic plans, analyzing difficulties public entities face in achieving their goals and finding fit solutions, and spreading the culture of measuring, examining, and improving public entities' performance and enhancing their abilities in measurement are all a part of Adaa’s mandate.

Adaa had officially launched its Watani App. A user-centric, data-driven engagement platform designed to measure beneficiary’s satisfaction — be he a citizen, resident, visitor, or investor — regarding the public services.

Watani enables beneficiaries to rate and deliver feedback and suggestions that support the improvement of public services.

The application contains more than 30,000 government service centers and 80,000 identified services covering more than 1,150 cities, towns, and villages in the Kingdom. It also enables the assessment of more than 125 electronic services provided by 22 government electronic platforms.



China's Coal Power Plants Grow After 2024 Decline

Guohua Power Station, a coal-fired power plant, operates in Dingzhou, Baoding, in the northern China's Hebei province (AP)
Guohua Power Station, a coal-fired power plant, operates in Dingzhou, Baoding, in the northern China's Hebei province (AP)
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China's Coal Power Plants Grow After 2024 Decline

Guohua Power Station, a coal-fired power plant, operates in Dingzhou, Baoding, in the northern China's Hebei province (AP)
Guohua Power Station, a coal-fired power plant, operates in Dingzhou, Baoding, in the northern China's Hebei province (AP)

China approved 11.29 gigawatts (GW) of new coal power plants in the first three months of 2025, already exceeding the 10.34 GW approved in the first half of 2024, a new Greenpeace report showed on Thursday.

Last year, Chinese approvals of new coal-fired power capacity fell 41.5% year-on-year to 62.24 GW, the first annual decline since 2021. The new data suggest approvals are tracking higher this year.

While all the approved projects may not be built, the growing pipeline signals a continued reliance on coal.

Reducing coal use to cut emissions is key to China's goal to hit peak carbon emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060.

Gao Yuhe, Greenpeace's climate and energy project manager for East Asia said,

“The year 2025 marks a pivotal moment in the country’s energy transition. There is already enough existing capacity to meet today's peak demand.

Approving a new wave of large-scale coal projects risks creating overcapacity, stranded assets, and higher transition costs.”

State planner, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the National Energy Administration did not immediately respond to faxed requests for comment.

This year marks the last in China's 2021-2025 five-year plan, in which China has approved 289 GW in new coal capacity, around double the 145 GW approved for the 2016-2020 period.

China has said it will start to phase down coal during the 2026-2030 five-year plan, but Beijing has not committed to any specific targets.

In return, Greenpeace called for more ambitious carbon emissions goals from China and a clear timeline for phasing out coal.

It also said China's power sector emissions could peak this year as growth in wind and solar outpaces coal.