Saudi Authorities Discuss Plans to Implement Liquid Displacement Program

Saudi authorities are discussing plans and efforts to displace liquid fuels and replace them with the electric grid.
Saudi authorities are discussing plans and efforts to displace liquid fuels and replace them with the electric grid.
TT

Saudi Authorities Discuss Plans to Implement Liquid Displacement Program

Saudi authorities are discussing plans and efforts to displace liquid fuels and replace them with the electric grid.
Saudi authorities are discussing plans and efforts to displace liquid fuels and replace them with the electric grid.

Saudi authorities are discussing plans and endeavors to displace liquid fuels and replace them with the electric grid, in a step that aims to achieve sustainable development according to Vision 2030.

These plans were put forward during a workshop organized by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Mohammad Abdel-Latif, head of the program’s agricultural team, explained that several tracks were set for different sectors, with the aim to reduce liquid fuel consumption by 95 percent by 2030.

He noted that the program sought to replace alternative energy sources through the connection with the electricity grid, in addition to enhancing operational capacity and reducing external factors affecting the sustainability of the environmental sectors.

Abdel-Latif also stated that the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture was working to achieve integration by connecting farms to the electrical network, and reduce the use of liquid fuels, within its endeavor to achieve the sustainability of the sector and enhance local production.

He explained that the program provides soft loans that allow farmers to implement the necessary internal adjustments.

According to the ministry, the program will be implemented in three phases. The first consists of obtaining data from farms on fuel consumption in order to estimate the electrical load. The second phase includes planning the delivery of the service and determining the timeframe for the implementation of the changes required by the displacement program, while the third involves the connection to the electrical grid.



Starbucks Workers Expand Strike in US Cities Including New York

Starbucks workers hold signs as they picket during a strike in front of a Starbucks to demand collective bargaining agreements in Burbank, California on December 20, 2024. (AFP)
Starbucks workers hold signs as they picket during a strike in front of a Starbucks to demand collective bargaining agreements in Burbank, California on December 20, 2024. (AFP)
TT

Starbucks Workers Expand Strike in US Cities Including New York

Starbucks workers hold signs as they picket during a strike in front of a Starbucks to demand collective bargaining agreements in Burbank, California on December 20, 2024. (AFP)
Starbucks workers hold signs as they picket during a strike in front of a Starbucks to demand collective bargaining agreements in Burbank, California on December 20, 2024. (AFP)

Starbucks workers have expanded their strike to four more US cities, including New York, the union representing over 10,000 baristas said late on Saturday.

The five-day strike, which began on Friday and initially closed Starbucks cafes in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle, has added New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia and St. Louis, Workers United said in a statement. It did not say where the New Jersey walkout was occurring.

Starbucks did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.

Talks between the coffee chain and the union hit an impasse with unresolved issues over wages, staffing and schedules, leading to the strike.

The union is striking in 10 cities, also including Columbus, Denver and Pittsburgh, during the busy holiday season that may impact the company's Christmas sales.

Workers United warned on Friday that the strike could reach "hundreds of stores" by Tuesday, Christmas Eve.

Starbucks began negotiations with the union in April. It said this month it had conducted more than eight bargaining sessions, during which 30 agreements had been reached.

The company operates more than 11,000 stores in the United States, employing about 200,000 workers.