Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Sep 05, 2025

Saudi Arabia's renewables sector could generate up to 750,000 jobs by 2030, report says

Saudi Arabia's renewables sector could generate up to 750,000 jobs by 2030, report says

Renewables projects could provide 7% of the kingdom's total electricity output by 2030, US-Saudi Arabian Business Council says
The development of Saudi Arabia's renewable energy sector could lead to the creation of up to 750,000 jobs over the next decade, as the kingdom aims to derive 7 per cent of its total electricity output from renewables by 2030, according to a study.

Solar power is set to account for 77 per cent of all renewables added to the grid by 2030, with clean energy capacity poised to increase to 5.3 gigawatts over the same period, the US-Saudi Arabian Business Council said.

"In order to achieve its medium- to long-term renewable energy objectives, the kingdom must prioritise the sector within its budgetary planning and allow for continued foreign investment attraction,” the report led by the council's chief economist, Albara’a Alwazir, said.

"The level of ongoing investments in the sector is expected to create up to 750,000 jobs over the next 10 years, assuming renewables remain as a priority sector. Localising the manufacturing base will provide for most of the employment opportunities as the kingdom aims to localise the sector to 40-45 per cent by 2028 and beyond," it added.

Saudi Arabia, a founding member of Opec, is the world’s largest exporter of oil. The kingdom has moved away from burning fossil fuel to generate electricity and has prioritised developing renewable energy for power generation to free up more crude for export.

The kingdom’s energy ministry set up a Renewable Energy Project Development Office in 2018 in order to oversee the development of solar and wind projects.

It is pursuing an ambitious renewable power strategy and plans to add 60 gigawatts of clean energy capacity to the national grid by 2030. Of this, 40GW will come from solar photovoltaic plants, 16GW from wind turbines and 2.7GW from concentrated solar power, according to Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy.

Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia launched the third round of its renewable energy programme, which aims to add a total of 1.2GW of solar photovoltaic power capacity to the grid.

The kingdom is also developing its first-ever wind scheme, a 400MW scheme in the Al Jouf region. The project, awarded to Abu Dhabi’s Masdar and EDF, reached financial close last year.

The US-Saudi Arabian Business Council, however, said the kingdom’s ambitious renewable energy programme could be delayed due to project cancellations stemming from the economic fallout from the coronavirus-pandemic.

"The negative effects of the pandemic on the renewable energy sector has caused delays in the selection of winning bids for round two of NREP’s [National Renewable Energy Programme] auctions. The final selection for round two was expected to occur in April 2020 but was delayed,” the council said.

Covid-19 is likely to postpone the completion timeline for projects tendered under the second renewables round by another year, provided the pandemic is brought under control.

Similarly, an 850MW IPP wind project that is part of the third round of NREP was expected to issue invitations to companies to pre-qualify for bidding to deliver the scheme in April.

"However, there have been no announcements regarding the entities that have been selected to the next round.

Saudi Arabia has so far allocated 270 billion Saudi riyals (Dh264.4bn) to help the private sector navigate economic challenges related to the pandemic.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
×