Aramco to Launch 65 New Projects in 2023

Future Projects Forum in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Future Projects Forum in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Aramco to Launch 65 New Projects in 2023

Future Projects Forum in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Future Projects Forum in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Major government and private entities reviewed their future projects worth billions of dollars to allow contractors to benefit from their implementation, coinciding with the 4th edition of the Future Projects Forum in Riyadh.

The Saudi Contractors Authority, in partnership with several public and private entities, launched the Forum on Sunday, showcasing nearly 3,000 projects worth $213 billion.

The participating agencies disclosed projects for more than 13 government agencies and the private sector, including five ministries.

The Authority signed ten memoranda of understanding (MoU) with several agencies, and the winners were crowned with Excellence Awards.

Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Aramco) announced it will launch 55 new projects in 2023 and ten other gas and oil projects.

Aramco will also launch 30 digital solutions that manage more than 100 indicators, with its plan to launch 24 other technical solutions to meet the increased demand during the next three years.

Aramco explained that it is adopting high-level technical solutions to increase its growth globally, as it has provided more than 160 technical solutions in its projects, indicating that it employs its capabilities to launch huge technical applications.

Aramco's Project Management has launched 14 applications to manage more than 160 jobs with more than 3,000 employees.

Meanwhile, the major corporations of the Saudi oil, gas, chemical, and iron industries confirmed their growth, noting that they will transfer the challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic into real opportunities.

Representatives of the sectors highlighted the requirements of the contracting industry to achieve Vision 2030 projects and the primary impulse of many vital industries.

The Saudi Ministry of Energy participated in the Forum by presenting executive plans in developing renewable energy projects and its most prominent achievements to enable its promising sector in the next stage.

The Ministry indicated that it is about to launch new projects at the beginning of 2023, revealing many initiatives to localize and enable renewable energy opportunities.

The ministry is implementing its plans under Vision 2030 while working to develop its digital tools and solutions. It also stressed the need to stimulate sustainable development of renewable and green energy and green hydrogen.

Saudi SABIC stated that it generates 150 new products annually and world-class processing technologies worldwide, revealing it has over 66 facilities and more than 10,000 inventions and applications.

SABIC explained that its assets amount to $85 billion, making it the second-best brand in the industry globally.

Several memoranda of understanding were signed between the Saudi Contractors Authority and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology on the sidelines of the Forum



WGC: Gold Investment Hits 3-year High in 1st Quarter on Trade Turmoil

FILE PHOTO: Gold bangles are displayed at a jewellery store in Mumbai, India, March 20, 2025. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Gold bangles are displayed at a jewellery store in Mumbai, India, March 20, 2025. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo
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WGC: Gold Investment Hits 3-year High in 1st Quarter on Trade Turmoil

FILE PHOTO: Gold bangles are displayed at a jewellery store in Mumbai, India, March 20, 2025. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Gold bangles are displayed at a jewellery store in Mumbai, India, March 20, 2025. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo

Global gold demand including over-the-counter (OTC) trading rose by 1% year-on-year to 1,206 metric tons in the first quarter of 2025 as investment jumped 170%, the World Gold Council said on Wednesday.

Spot gold prices are up 26% so far this year and have hit multiple record highs as first-quarter investment demand hit the highest since the first quarter of 2022, when global markets were grappling with the immediate consequences of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"It's been a bumpy start to the year for global markets as trade turmoil, unpredictable US policy announcements, sustained geopolitical tensions and a return of recessionary fears have created a highly uncertain environment for investors," the WGC's senior markets analyst Louise Street said.

Driving up investment demand were massive inflows into physically backed gold exchange-traded funds and 14% growth in demand for gold bars in the first quarter, Reuters reported. That offset a 32% slump in demand for coins.

However, bar and coin investment in China rose 12% to 124.2 tons, the highest level since the second quarter of 2013's record high, said the WGC, an industry body whose members are global gold miners.

Amid high prices, global gold jewelry consumption, the key category of physical demand, fell 21% to 380.3 tons, the lowest level since the 2020 pandemic.

Central banks, another major source of gold demand, cut purchases by 21% to 243.7 tons in the first quarter, the WGC calculated, based on reported purchases and an estimate of unreported buying.

"While this level of demand was 21% lower year-on-year, it remains robust and in line with the quarterly average for the last three years of sustained, strong buying," it added.

For the full year, the WGC expects gold investment to continue gathering pace and central banks to repeat buying close to the range seen over the past three years due to elevated trade-related risks.