Saudi to Identify Challenges Facing Construction Permits for Commercial Buildings

Saudi private sector moves to address challenges in obtaining commercial building permits (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi private sector moves to address challenges in obtaining commercial building permits (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi to Identify Challenges Facing Construction Permits for Commercial Buildings

Saudi private sector moves to address challenges in obtaining commercial building permits (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi private sector moves to address challenges in obtaining commercial building permits (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Efforts are underway to identify the challenges related to obtaining construction permits for commercial buildings in Saudi Arabia.

Proposed solutions are being developed and shared with the Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs, and Housing, in anticipation of presenting the final plan at the periodic meeting of the Executive Committee for Improving the Performance of Private Sector Businesses (Tayseer).

The Federation of Saudi Chambers has urged the private sector, business leaders, and engineering offices to participate in a survey designed to document all observations and opinions on the matter.

This initiative aims to address the obstacles facing the sector during the upcoming period.

In the study, which Asharq Al-Awsat reviewed a copy of, the Federation asked participants to identify challenges that business owners face when obtaining construction permits for commercial buildings.

It also inquired about the government entity responsible for the issue.

The Federation is committed to identifying the challenges that the private sector faces in relation to government procedures, regulations, and legislation on an ongoing basis. Its goal is to remove all obstacles that hinder the expansion of companies and institutions in line with the government's current aspirations.

The Federation plays a pivotal role in enhancing the business environment of Saudi Arabia and surmounting challenges confronting the Kingdom's private sector. It endeavors to invigorate and foster economic sectors through its diverse departments and administrations.

The Federation also contributes to the study of regulations, the development of support programs, and provides support to government agencies in the formulation of various related regulations and decisions.

In 2021, the Saudi government was able to address 62.5% of the challenges facing the private sector in regulations and legislation.

Looking to improve the private sector’s business environment, the Tayseer committee participated in 45 meetings and 12 workshops with the private sector during 2021.

The committee was able to identify over 1,200 challenges facing companies and institutions.

Currently, 37.5% of these challenges are still under study.



Aramco, Gulf Cryo Cooperate in Testing Lower-carbon Hydrogen

The initiative will facilitate testing Aramco’s newly-developed technologies at pilot and pre-commercial scale. Photo: Aramco
The initiative will facilitate testing Aramco’s newly-developed technologies at pilot and pre-commercial scale. Photo: Aramco
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Aramco, Gulf Cryo Cooperate in Testing Lower-carbon Hydrogen

The initiative will facilitate testing Aramco’s newly-developed technologies at pilot and pre-commercial scale. Photo: Aramco
The initiative will facilitate testing Aramco’s newly-developed technologies at pilot and pre-commercial scale. Photo: Aramco

Saudi Aramco has signed an agreement with Gulf Cryo, a regional leader of end-to-end industrial gases and decarbonization solutions in the MENAT region, to conduct testing of lower-carbon hydrogen and carbon capture & utilization technologies under Saudi Arabian climate conditions enabling future commercial deployment.

The agreement underscores Aramco’s desire to develop a lower carbon emission future through investing in research and technology development, to support business growth and meet global energy demand while reducing scope 1 and scope 2 GHG emissions to net-zero by 2050 from its wholly own operated assets.

The initiative will facilitate testing Aramco’s newly-developed technologies at pilot and pre-commercial scale. The testing and assessment will be conducted at Gulf Cryo's newly established Applications and Technologies Center (ATC) at King Salman Energy Park (SPARK), a press statement said Thursday.

Aramco’s senior vice president of Technology Oversight and Coordination (TOC), Ali A. Al-Meshari, said: “This collaboration is important in advancing our early stage technologies to the next phase of development, which will help create local ecosystem for accelerating technology deployment leveraging in-kingdom talent and infrastructure.”

As for Gulf Cryo Vice Chairman, Eng. Abdel Salam Al Mazro, he said that “the project will leverage the capabilities of our Center to deliver groundbreaking lower-carbon hydrogen and decarbonization solutions, tailored to the unique needs of Aramco.”

In addition to driving technological advancements in decarbonization, this collaboration supports Saudi Arabia’s strategy to enhance localization and build local capabilities. The facility is planned to be ready for commissioning by the end of 2025, the statement added.