Saudi Arabia, France Discuss Health Sector Opportunities

Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia, France Discuss Health Sector Opportunities

Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Riyadh and Paris have discussed medical cooperation and available investment opportunities in the healthcare sector at a meeting of the Saudi-French Business Council on Tuesday.

The meeting was attended by Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih and France’s Minister of Foreign Trade Olivier Becht. The heads of the Saudi-French Business Council Mohammed bin Laden and Laurent Germain also attended the meeting.

Moreover, Saudi entrepreneurial companies and representatives of the private sector from both countries also partook in the meeting.

Both sides stressed the importance of the Saudi-French economic and investment relations, and the support they enjoy from the leadership in the two countries.

Cooperation opportunities are available in areas of common interest.

The two sides noted the importance of exploring new investment opportunities, in addition to increasing knowledge of the investment environment in the Kingdom and France.

The roundtable meeting discussed promising investment opportunities, upgrading investment relations between France and Saudi Arabia, and strengthening efforts to develop economic and investment ties between Riyadh and Paris.

This comes especially about developing qualitative investments for leading companies and enabling the private sector to benefit from investment opportunities in both countries.

In other news, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources (MIM), in collaboration with the British Embassy in Riyadh, hosted a joint webinar with British investors to promote investment opportunities in Saudi Arabia.

During the opening of the webinar, the Assistant Deputy for Mining Development, Turki Al Babtain, emphasized that the Ministry is working to ensure an attractive investment ecosystem thanks to the new Saudi Mining Investment Law.

The legislation assures a clear and fair legal framework designed to safeguard investments while leveraging the Kingdom's mineral wealth. Saudi Arabia is said to be home to an estimated $1.3 trillion worth of minerals.

Saudi Arabia’s mining strategy is based on four important pillars: making geological and geophysical data fully accessible, transforming the mining ecosystem into one of the most competitive worldwide, creating integrated value chains, and ensuring that people and the environment are protected.

Al Babtain invited attendees to participate in the Future Minerals Forum in January to learn more about Saudi Arabia’s investment opportunities, including the prominent features and incentives offered by the Kingdom to investors. Attendees to the Future Minerals Forum will join more than 7500 participants, 150 speakers and representatives from more than 75 countries.

The Ministry’s efforts are designed to maximize value-creation for Saudi Arabian communities and local and international investors by developing its mineral sector in order to transform mining into the third pillar of national industry, thereby achieving the goals of Vision 2030 and the National Industry Development and Logistics Program (NIDLP).



Aramco, TotalEnergies, SIRC Mull Establishment of Sustainable Aviation Fuel Plant in Saudi Arabia

The collaboration seeks to leverage each company's expertise to develop an SAF plant in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom. SPA
The collaboration seeks to leverage each company's expertise to develop an SAF plant in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom. SPA
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Aramco, TotalEnergies, SIRC Mull Establishment of Sustainable Aviation Fuel Plant in Saudi Arabia

The collaboration seeks to leverage each company's expertise to develop an SAF plant in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom. SPA
The collaboration seeks to leverage each company's expertise to develop an SAF plant in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom. SPA

Saudi Aramco, TotalEnergies, and the Saudi Investment Recycling Company (SIRC) have said they signed a joint development and cost-sharing agreement, aiming at evaluating the potential development of a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) plant in the Kingdom.
The announcement coincided with French President Emmanuel Macron's official visit to the Kingdom on Tuesday. The collaboration seeks to leverage each company's expertise to develop an SAF plant in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom.
The evaluation phase will focus on utilizing innovative engineering and technological solutions to recycle and process local waste or circular economy by-products, including cooking oils and animal fats, to produce SAF.
President and CEO of Saudi Aramco Amin Hassan Nasser pointed out that addressing aviation emissions through low-carbon alternatives has become imperative in light of the expected growth in air travel demand, highlighting the crucial role of mega global energy companies like Saudi Aramco and TotalEnergies.

"Addressing transportation emissions requires a wide range of approaches, and Aramco is committed to finding innovative solutions and contributing to global efforts to reduce emissions," he said.
Underlying the solid partnership between Saudi Aramco and TotalEnergies, Nasser said: "Our goal is to establish a sustainable aviation fuel plant in the Kingdom with SIRC, benefiting both domestic and international airlines, particularly as the tourism and aviation sectors expand."
Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies Patrick Pouyanné expressed his enthusiasm for collaborating with Saudi Aramco and SIRC to assess SAF production in the Kingdom. He also stressed the importance of advancing efforts to decarbonize air transport.
SIRC CEO Ziyad Al-Shiha noted that the partnership aligns with the company's commitment to supporting the ambitious sustainability goals of the Saudi Vision 2030 and the Saudi Green Initiative, saying: "We are focusing on increasing waste-to-resource conversion rates, and this new collaboration with Saudi Aramco and TotalEnergies to assess the feasibility of a renewable aviation fuel plant is a significant step toward advancing the circular economy in the Kingdom."