The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is not just an oil-producing country, but a global powerhouse of sustainable and digital energy, combining innovation, efficiency, and sustainability. The Kingdom has affirmed its ability to transform challenges into historic achievements that enhance its position on the global economic map.
Saudi Arabia
In an extensive report titled “From the Discovery of the Dammam Field to Data-Driven Energy: A New Historical Phase for Energy in the Kingdom?”, Petroleum Argus highlighted the great achievement of Saudi Arabia in the energy sector, considering it “a new 1938 moment,” referring to the discovery of the first oil in the Dammam field.
The report confirms that the Kingdom is now moving confidently towards a historic stage that combines efficient supply, low-cost renewable energy, and clean hydrogen, to become a global center for sustainable and digital energy, in a unique model that combines economic innovation and environmental sustainability.
The world's most efficient and reliable energy
During the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh, Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman affirmed that the Kingdom now provides “the most efficient, reliable and sustainable energy on Earth,” inviting global investors to participate in this transformation.
He pointed out that sustainable energy represents the main pillar of the new economic growth, which is driven by artificial intelligence technologies, data centers, and advanced industries, stressing that the Kingdom has established an integrated national electricity model based on the idea of the “primary buyer”, which has enabled it to achieve record numbers in reducing costs and ensuring supplies.
The Kingdom also ensured energy continuity by purchasing all twin gas turbines from Siemens and General Electric until 2028, to avoid any future bottlenecks in supplies.
Record achievements in low-cost renewable energy
Saudi Arabia is currently the cheapest country in the world for solar and wind energy, with projects such as:
Al-Shuaiba Solar Energy: 1.04 cents per kilowatt-hour
Najran Solar Energy: 1.09 cents per kilowatt-hour
Dawadmi Wind Power Plant: 1.33 cents per kilowatt-hour
The Kingdom also achieved the lowest gas prices globally ($2.15 per million British thermal units) and made progress in battery storage costs to compete with China.
The Kingdom aims to increase its renewable energy production to 64 gigawatts by the end of this year, compared to only 3 gigawatts in 2020. It has also connected 12.3 gigawatts to the national grid with 40% automation before 2026.
Clean energy and the digital economy: a vision for the future
The report confirms that the Kingdom is relying on gas and low-cost renewable energy as a cornerstone for expanding clean hydrogen and synthetic fuel production, supported by carbon capture projects, and is also considering small modular nuclear reactor options within its future energy plans.
The Kingdom seeks to present a model that shows that the energy transition is not an environmental burden, but an economic opportunity, based on a low-carbon and highly reliable path, in preparation for the COP30 World Climate Conference in Brazil, to consolidate its position as a global provider of sustainable energy that supports the digital economy and fuels the future of data globally.
