Saudi Arabia, Germany Seek to Promote Energy Dialogue and Hydrogen Alliance

Saudi Arabia is moving to expand reliance on renewable energy and hydrogen production. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia is moving to expand reliance on renewable energy and hydrogen production. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia, Germany Seek to Promote Energy Dialogue and Hydrogen Alliance

Saudi Arabia is moving to expand reliance on renewable energy and hydrogen production. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia is moving to expand reliance on renewable energy and hydrogen production. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Dr. Dalia Samra-Rohte, Delegate of German Industry & Commerce for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen, said that the German-Saudi Arabian Liaison Office for Economic Affairs (GESALO) sought to promote German-Saudi energy dialogue and the hydrogen alliance.

Saudi Arabia and Germany are seeking to strengthen economic and investment relations and increase trade exchange, on the sidelines of the visit of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to the Kingdom.

Samra-Rohte said that Saudi Vision 2030 created additional opportunities to further develop relations, pointing to sustainability as a major focus in the Kingdom’s aspirations during the coming period.

Opportunities were identified in the areas of renewable energy, recycling, green hydrogen, as well as the water sector, she told Asharq Al-Awsat.

She also stressed that the German industry has contributed to health care developments, major infrastructure projects and digitization in Saudi Arabia.

The delegate of German Industry & Commerce for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen revealed that her country was the Kingdom’s fourth largest trading partner, noting that most of Germany’s exports to Saudi Arabia were focused on chemical products and mechanical equipment.

She went on to say that the value of German exports to the Kingdom reached 5.6 billion euros ($5.4 billion), noting that her country’s companies enjoyed a strong trade relationship with their Saudi counterparts.

Over the past years, German industry has contributed to the general diversification and localization efforts in Saudi Arabia. In this regard, Samra-Rohte emphasized that with the increasing demand for local manpower, German companies have provided job opportunities for many Saudi citizens.

The GESALO office regularly organizes exchange programs and helps Saudi students, who complete their studies in Germany, to find suitable job opportunities, she concluded.



ExxonMobil Launches 'Promising' Exploration Well Off Cyprus

The Wolf Moon is shown over the capital Nicosia in the southeast island of Cyprus, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
The Wolf Moon is shown over the capital Nicosia in the southeast island of Cyprus, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
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ExxonMobil Launches 'Promising' Exploration Well Off Cyprus

The Wolf Moon is shown over the capital Nicosia in the southeast island of Cyprus, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
The Wolf Moon is shown over the capital Nicosia in the southeast island of Cyprus, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

ExxonMobil and Qatar Energy on Friday began exploratory drilling for natural gas in a prospect west of Cyprus, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides said on X.
The east Mediterranean has yielded some major gas discoveries in recent years, and a disruption in energy supplies from Russia after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine has sharpened Europe's attention on securing alternative sources of supply.
"Cyprus progresses exploration activities, aiming to be an alternative and reliable source of natural gas for the EU," Christodoulides wrote in his post.
According to Reuters, he said drilling at the prospect, named Electra, got underway on Friday morning.
ExxonMobil executives have previously described Electra as 'highly promising'.
The company secured hydrocarbon exploration licenses for Cyprus in 2017. Other multinationals in the region include US's Chevron (CVX.N), opens new tab, Italy's Eni (ENI.MI), opens new tab and France's TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA).
Cyprus has made modest finds offshore compared to sizeable discoveries by neighbors Egypt and Israel. It has not yet put any gas into production.
The Mediterranean island nation is divided with the internationally-recognized government in the south and a breakaway Türkiye-backed administration in the north.
Cyprus's drilling activities are being closely monitored by Ankara, a Turkish defense ministry official said. The area being drilled lies outside continental shelf boundaries declared by Türkiye, they added.
Cyprus and Türkiye do not have diplomatic relations, and past exploration efforts have exposed disputes and overlapping claims.