In a bid to boost cooperation in the energy sector, Saudi Arabia and the United States (U.S.) forged a roadmap to enhance alliances in various energy fields including carbon management, clean hydrogen, nuclear energy, electricity and renewables, innovation, energy sector supply chain resilience, and energy efficiency.
Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, minister of energy, and Jennifer M. Granholm, United States secretary of energy, recently signed the roadmap to implement the plan for energy cooperation and set a timeline that outlines critical projects for collaboration.
Advancing clean energy initiatives
This roadmap builds on the previous Partnership for Advancing Clean Energy Agreement that Saudi Arabia and the U.S. signed in 2022.
Both Saudi Arabia and the U.S. have agreed on the framework for implementing the roadmap. This includes sectoral knowledge exchange, policies related to standards and regulatory frameworks, enhancing joint research and development, and building human capital through training and exchange of expertise.
Both parties will focus on advancing cooperation and projects in clean energy, clean hydrogen, circular carbon economy, and carbon capture. Moreover, the roadmap encompasses sectors like utilization and storage technologies, clean cooking solutions, emissions reduction, research and development, and clean electricity generation technologies.
This roadmap aligns with Saudi Arabia’s recent efforts in tackling climate change locally and regionally with initiatives like the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative.
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Sustainable mining in focus
With abundant mineral wealth estimated at SAR9.4 trillion ($2.5 trillion), Saudi Arabia sees the mining sector as a key pillar of economic diversification and Vision 2030. In an effort to bolster the sector further, Granholm also discussed enhancing cooperation in mining, clean energy, and critical minerals with the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef.
Saudi Arabia and the U.S. also discussed boosting trade and developing non-oil exports between the two countries. In addition, Alkhorayef highlighted the importance of attracting investments in mining projects across both countries and enhancing cooperation in the sustainable mining sector in line with the objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative.
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