Saudi Arabia Energy Dashboard

Grid Summary

Saudi Arabia is a large country with an area of 2.3 million km2. It is a relatively rich and rapidly developing country and so demand for electricity is growing on average at around 5% annually. Over the next 25 years, it is estimated that US$117 billion will be invested in the country’s power sector. The state power grid system has supplied electricity to approximately 80% of the population living in the state capitals and industrial centers. It is highly uneconomical to extend the electrical power grid system into the sparsely populated regions of the Kingdom. Hence there are many small remote communities that need an independent source of electrical energy. These locations represent a significant potential for renewable energy applications. The importance of using renewable energy in Saudi Arabia will not only be confined to meeting the demands of remote sites, but can also contribute to the national grid, helping to meet the peak-load demand during the summer months. Even though Saudi Arabia is a leading oil producer, it is keenly interested in taking an active part in the development of new technologies for exploiting and utilizing renewable sources of energy…more information.

The Eighth National Development Plan is the cornerstone of achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Saudi Arabia. It seeks to consolidate work at the following three levels: (a) development of an information and legislative framework for achievement of the MDGs; (b) integration of the MDGs into sustainable development, through the national development plans, particularly the Eighth Plan; and (c) concerted efforts to achieve, even surpass, the MDGs ahead of schedule. The Ministry of Economy and Planning is responsible for producing the National MDG Reports (2002 and 2006), which define Saudi Arabia's performance with regard to the achievement of the MDGs. Those Reports have been developed in coordination with the UNDP country office, which provided substantive advisory and technical inputs to the preparation process as well as building the national capacities for development management...more information.