Recent stories from sustg

  • Water Brings Green to Saudi Arabia
     

    Over the last two-and-a-half decades, a series of NASA’s Landsat satellites have captured these pictures of the growing agriculture industry in the northern reaches of the Syrian Desert in Saudi Arabia, not far from Jordan. Farmers use a technique called center-pivot irrigation to bring up water from below the desert floor to grow wheat and […]

     
  • U.S. Might Have More Oil Than Saudi Arabia, But…
     

    People are often confused about the overall extent of U.S. oil reserves. Some claim that the U.S. has hundreds of billions or even trillions of barrels of oil waiting to be produced if bureaucrats will simply stop blocking development. In fact, in a recent debate between Republican candidates contending for Gabrielle Giffords’ recently vacated House seat, one candidate […]

     
  • Saudi Arabia will act to lower soaring oil prices
     

    In an op-ed in the Financial Times, Ali Al Naimi writes, “High international oil prices are bad news. Bad for Europe, bad for the US, bad for emerging economies and bad for the world’s poorest nations. A period of prolonged high prices is bad for all oil producing nations, including Saudi Arabia, and they are […]

     
  • “Out in the Blue” Part 9 of Video Series “Distant Arabia”
     

    In this clip excerpted with permission from the documentary The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power based on the book of the same name by Daniel Yergin, the story of Tom Barger’s first journey to Saudi Arabia is related through his movies and letters. The complete story is told in Barger’s book […]

     
  • GE wins $200mn power plant conversion contract in Saudi Arabia
     

    GE said it has received a contract for nearly $200 million to supply steam turbine technology, power generation services and distributed control systems for the conversion of Saudi Electricity Co.’s (SEC) PP10 power plant from simple to combined-cycle operation. The project will add 1,300 MW to the plant’s capacity. “The conversion to combined-cycle operation is […]

     
  • Secretary of State Clinton to Visit Saudi on Friday and Saturday
     

    Clinton will be in Saudi Arabia’s capital of Riyadh Friday and Saturday. There, she’ll meet with Saudi King Abdullah and participate in an event dedicated to the “strategic cooperation” between the U.S. and Gulf Arab states. Washington and many of its allies say Syrian President Bashar Assad has lost all legitimacy in a year of […]

     
  • Saudi Arabia Jeddah Weddings
     

    I was approached, a couple of months ago by a media company, about the wedding video I made for my cousin’s wedding. The company makes documentaries and would like to make a documentary about modern day Saudi couples in Jeddah getting married. They were, in my opinion, too optimistic, but then again I am a […]

     
  • Geithner welcomes Saudi oil pledge
     

    U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said he welcomed Saudi Arabia’s pledge to continue to make sure oil supplies are sufficient to meet demand.

     
  • Opportunities in Water Production
     

    Saudi Arabia will increase by almost double its desalinated water production over the next three years according to the governor of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) who said the daily water production will rise from the current 3.3 million cubic meters to about 6 million. SWCC’s HR General Manager, Abdul Latif Al-Harkan, was a […]

     
  • Car-nage
     

    In his weekly piece for Arab News, Abdulateef Al-Mulhim takes a look at the extraordinary toll exacted on Saudi roads. With well-engineered roads and streets and access to the latest and safest automobiles, he says, Saudi Arabia still leads the world in highway fatalities. He offers a few ideas about how to gain control over […]

     

MUST-READS

  • Why is FinTech flourishing in Saudi Arabia?

    Saudi Arabia, under its Vision 2030 and Financial Sector Development Program (FSDP) — with the FinTech strategy approved in May 2022 as its fourth pillar, aims to become a cashless society with a target of 70% by 2030. It also aims to make the Kingdom a global FinTech hub that attracts entrepreneurs from around the world as well as within the country. FinTech Saudi was established in 2018 as an ecosystem builder and catalyst under the supervision of the country's financial regulators, SAMA (Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority) and CMA (Capital Market Authority), to lay the foundation and further accelerate the sector's success journey. This initiative has led to an increase in the number of FinTech startups to 207 in 2023, up from only 10 in 2018—an increase of 20.7 times in five years.

  • Saudi Arabia’s Commitment To Fighting Terrorism Is Solid

    The second meeting of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition defense ministers was held in Riyadh recently, under the theme: “Combating Terrorism: A Shared Responsibility," which was chaired by Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi Defense Minister who heads the council.

  • Aerial photos show development of 170km long Saudi Arabia city The Line

    Aerial photos showing the early stages of the 170km long city The Line in Saudi Arabia have been shared by Neom’s chief operating officer. A 170km long and 200m wide linear development in the desert, The Line is a “cognitive city” being built in Saudi’s Tabuk Province. Bordered by two 500m-high walls, mirrored on the exterior, it is planned to be home to 9M residents in its 34km2 area and will be filled with interconnected mixed-use community spaces in its 135 modules. It will run as completely carbon net zero and have no roads or cars, but public electrified transport running along the outskirts.

  • The hopes and fears of employees across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Our 2023 Hopes and Fears Middle East survey revealed a young, ambitious and hyper-aware generation of employees who are comfortable with the rapid transformation around them. Drawing responses from 521 individuals in the KSA and over 1,500 in the region, the survey highlighted prominent themes, including the workforce’s enthusiasm to adopt new skills and positivity around AI and sustainability.

  • Saudi Arabia’s Modern Mills announces plan to list 30% in IPO

    Saudi Arabia's Modern Mills for Food Products said on Wednesday it is planning an initial public offering of 30% of its shares, the second flour mills company in the kingdom to seek a listing since the government privatised the industry. Modern Mills plans to sell 24.5 million shares on the Saudi Exchange, equivalent to 30% of its share capital, the company said in a regulatory statement on Wednesday.

  • The US and Saudi Arabia are taking COP28 pledges seriously

    Assuming COP28 pledges to limit global warming are met, both the energy and climate crises would be solved. According to the UN summit’s pled on renewables and energy efficiency, adopted last December in Dubai, “to limit warming to 1.5°C, the world requires three times more renewable energy capacity by 2030, and must double the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements from around 2% to over 4% every year until 2030”. But meeting these objectives will be a tall order.

  • Desert X AlUla 2024: Exploring Unseen Art in Saudi Arabia’s Desert Region from February 9 to March 23

    Desert X AlUla will open its latest exhibition themed “In the Presence of Absence,” from February 9th to March 23rd, 2024. Featuring 15 commissioned artworks that explore the unseen, the festival takes place bi-yearly in the desert region of Saudi Arabia. This edition of Desert X AlUla is curated by Maya El Khalil, renowned for her art advisory and MENA-focused curation, and Marcello Dantas, an award-winning curator known for his interdisciplinary practices. Returning for its third edition, Desert X AlUla 2024 invites artists to engage with the landscape, nature, and heritage of AlUla. The exhibition aims to position AlUla as the hub for monumental art experiences in the region. This year’s theme, “In the Presence of Absence,” challenges the concept of deserts as “empty spaces.” Artists worldwide are encouraged to investigate conceptual ideas of the invisible, engaging in a dialogue with AlUla’s environment.

  • A Statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the discussions between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America on the Arab-Israeli peace process.

    A Statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the discussions between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America on the Arab-Israeli peace process.

  • Saudi Arabia taps ex-Dell executive as CEO for new PIF manufacturing company

    Global CEO Amit Midha will lead the ambitious plans for the new manufacturing hub in the kingdom. Chaired by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Alat is targeting the creation of 39,000 direct jobs in Saudi Arabia and a $9.3 billion contribution to GDP by 2030. The company is launching with more than 30 product categories including robotics, computing and digital entertainment, as well as advanced heavy machinery.  Alat, which will officially open for business on Feb. 20, also has a sustainability component and plans to work with global companies to reduce their emissions and move towards zero-carbon manufacturing.

  • Saudi Arabia achieves historic reduction in dust and sand storms in January 2024

    Saudi Arabia has witnessed the most significant reduction in dust and sand storms in January 2024, marking the highest decrease in 21 years. The reduction, which stands at an impressive 94%, is a direct result of the concerted efforts by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA), alongside the initiatives under the Kingdom's Vision 2030. The Sand and Dust Storm Warning Regional Center highlighted in its latest report remarkable reductions across various regions. Riyadh experienced a complete cessation of dust and sand storms, recording a 100% decrease. Similarly, Dammam also achieved a 100% reduction in such environmental phenomena during the same period. Meanwhile, Wadi Al-Dawasir Province and Al-Ahsa Province saw significant decreases of 81% and 83%, respectively