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SPARK Becomes 1st Saudi Industrial City to Receive Sustainable Gold Classification With Distinction

An artist's impression of King Salman Energy Park. (SPA)
An artist's impression of King Salman Energy Park. (SPA)
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SPARK Becomes 1st Saudi Industrial City to Receive Sustainable Gold Classification With Distinction

An artist's impression of King Salman Energy Park. (SPA)
An artist's impression of King Salman Energy Park. (SPA)

The Sustainable Building Program of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing awarded the King Salman Energy City (SPARK) the first sustainable gold classification with distinction in Saudi Arabia.

The announcement came during the inauguration ceremony of the ETMAM program in Riyadh, in the presence of Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing Majed bin Abdullah Al-Hogail, and Abdulkarim Alghamdi, Vice President of Project Management at Saudi Aramco.

Alghamdi said that the King Salman Energy City (SPARK), launched by Saudi Aramco, was seeking to create a sustainable ecosystem at a global level.

Such achievement enhances SPARK’s ability to support manufacturers and investors in their path towards obtaining a “sustainable” certificate for their own facilities, he added.

The sustainable building program aims to address long-term sustainability challenges, and helps cities and communities develop responsible plans to improve sustainability, environmentally-friendly systems in energy, water, waste and transportation, and many other elements that contribute to quality of life and enhance the local economy, in line with the Kingdom’s ambitious Vision 2030.

The Developers Services Center (ETMAM) is considered one of the most important national initiatives aimed at facilitating the launching of the real estate sector in the Kingdom, creating an attractive environment and increasing the volume of investments inside and outside Saudi Arabia.

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UK Treasury Chief Heading to China to Revive Suspended Economic, Financial Talks

FILE PHOTO: Chancellor Rachel Reeves speaks to the media after a tour of Maidstone Hospital on December 10, 2024 in Maidstone, Britain. Dan Kitwood/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Chancellor Rachel Reeves speaks to the media after a tour of Maidstone Hospital on December 10, 2024 in Maidstone, Britain. Dan Kitwood/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
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UK Treasury Chief Heading to China to Revive Suspended Economic, Financial Talks

FILE PHOTO: Chancellor Rachel Reeves speaks to the media after a tour of Maidstone Hospital on December 10, 2024 in Maidstone, Britain. Dan Kitwood/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Chancellor Rachel Reeves speaks to the media after a tour of Maidstone Hospital on December 10, 2024 in Maidstone, Britain. Dan Kitwood/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Britain's Treasury chief is travelling to China this weekend to discuss economic and financial cooperation between the countries, as the UK's Labour government seeks to reset strained ties with Beijing.
The Treasury said Friday that Rachel Reeves will travel to Beijing and Shanghai and will meet with her Chinese government counterpart, Vice Premier He Lifeng, Reuters reported.
Reeves' trip is expected to revive the China-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue — annual bilateral talks that have been suspended since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and deteriorating relations in recent years.
A series of spying allegations from both sides, China’s support for Russia in the Ukraine war and a crackdown on civil liberties in Hong Kong, a former British colony, have soured ties.
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey and the UK Financial Conduct Authority's chief executive, Nikhil Rathi, are also in the delegation, according to the Treasury. Representatives from some of Britain’s biggest financial services firms will join the trip.
Officials did not provide details, but media reports have said senior executives from HSBC Holdings and Standard Chartered were included.
Reeves' visit comes after Foreign Secretary David Lammy travelled to China in October and Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Brazil in November.
The meetings form part of a bid by Starmer, who was elected as leader in July, to strengthen political and economic ties with China, the UK's fifth-largest trading partner.
Officials said Starmer wanted a “pragmatic” approach to working with Beijing on global stability, climate change and the transition to clean energy.
But some in the opposition Conservative Party have criticized his stance and said trade ties should not come at the expense of national security and human rights concerns.
British political leaders and intelligence chiefs have warned repeatedly of the security threats that China poses. Calls to tackle the challenge grew louder last month when it emerged that an alleged Chinese spy had cultivated close ties with Prince Andrew and carried out “covert and deceptive activity” for China's ruling Communist Party, according to officials.
Nevertheless, Lammy told reporters in London on Thursday that “there are many areas of trade that don’t impact on national security.”
He said Reeves “will repeat many of the messages that I took to China.”
“What we’ve said is in this complex relationship with a global superpower, we are guided by three Cs”: challenge, compete and cooperate, for example in areas including health and climate challenges, Lammy added.