Saudi Crown Prince briefs cabinet on meeting with Syrian president

RIYADH: Scientists at a top Saudi Arabia university have identified several locations across the Kingdom that would be ideal for the storage of solar and wind energy, which would ultimately benefit water management and food security, the institution stated on Monday.

The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology study identified 10 sites but said two Red Sea ones were the most feasible after several scientific and economic factors were taken into account.

The two “attractive” locations require an investment of around $16.5 billion but more research is needed to evaluate their feasibility.

This is according to the study titled “The potential role of seasonal pumped hydropower storage in decarbonizing the power sector in Saudi Arabia.”

The study conducted by Yoshihide Wada, Julian Hunt and colleagues is already available on the website of the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews journal.

The researchers stated that the storage sites could “potentially contribute to the decarbonization of the power sector in Saudi Arabia and the balancing of the electricity grid as part of a full suite of energy storage options.”

The scientists looked at the potential for seasonal hydro storage of desalinated water and the role it can play in meeting the high summer electricity and water demand in the Kingdom.

“The Kingdom is rich in solar and wind power potential. We are interested in determining how transitioning to these two renewable energy sources can benefit water management in the Kingdom,” said Wada.

As a part of the wide-ranging Saudi Vision 2030 plan, the Kingdom plans to source at least 50 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2060, in an effort to reduce its carbon footprint and promote sustainable development.

To reach that goal there would need to be a considerable change in the power industry, KAUST stated. The sector was responsible for “around half of the carbon dioxide emissions by the Kingdom in 2022.”

Renewable energy is a part of Saudi Arabia’s long-term sustainability vision, but storing the resource for times of high need still remains a challenge.

“Electricity consumption almost doubles in some years from the winter to summer months, which gives tremendous value for infrastructure that can keep energy stored in the cooler months from solar and wind and use the energy to generate electricity in the hotter months,” the release said.

There have been investments in battery storage solutions, but these can only store energy over daily cycles.

“For longer, seasonal cycles, seasonal pumped hydropower storage is under consideration. Here, desalinated water can be stored in reservoirs in high mountains and released upon demand to generate power and supply water.”

But with each seasonal pumped hydropower storage site costing around $10 billion, finding the most appropriate locations for construction is crucial.

Factors such as evaporation of the stored water, the salinity of the water, and the feasibility of building solar or wind plants nearby, were studied by the scientists.

“These storage sites have extraordinary upfront investments, so their value must be estimated as accurately as possible. Our study incorporates water management into the design, giving a more holistic estimate on how large-scale projects support the adoption of renewables in Saudi Arabia,” said Hunt.

RIYADH: Kazakhstan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Madiyar Menilbekov, has said his mission will be dedicated to furthering Saudi-Kazakh ties in politics, trade, culture, tourism and agriculture.

“As ambassador extraordinaire of the country of Kazakhstan to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I received instructions from our president to develop bilateral relations, first on the political side,” Menilbekov told Arab News.

“Thanks to our very strong relations in the political field, we had organized a working visit of our president to Riyadh in December of last year,” he added. The trip was President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s official visit to Riyadh, during which he participated in the One Water Summit.

The ambassador said his secondary focus would be trade.

“I’m focusing on the development and the strengthening of trade and economic relations and, of course, the implementation of investment projects,” he said, adding he was working closely with the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce. This year, two missions will be organized with entities from both countries paying a visit.

Menilbekov explained the Saudi delegation would make the trip in the first quarter of 2025, with the Kazakhstan delegation visiting the Kingdom at a later stage.

Saudi Arabia is fast-growing and implementing all tasks in Saudi Vision 2030, and (it is a) big achievement to host Expo 2030 and (the 2034) World Cup.

Madiyar Menilbekov, Kazakhstan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia

Speaking about tourism, the envy said he hoped to enhance relations in this sector, pointing out the number of Saudi and Kazakh tourists was increasing annually.

“Before, it was a visit for pilgrims to Jeddah and Madinah, but last year and in 2023, I found a number of Kazakh tourists who are visiting Riyadh in big numbers, as well as AlUla and Madinah,” said Menilbekov.

The ambassador said around 7,000 Saudis visited Kazakhstan each year, with more than 20,000 Kazakhs making the opposite journey.

“Kazakh people love sports and events in Riyadh during Riyadh Season and other activities also,” he said, extending an invitation to all Saudis to visit Kazakhstan, whose key features include nature, mountains and historic cities.

Asked where immediate results of cooperation between the two countries could be seen, the ambassador pointed to renewable energy and food security/agriculture.

He cited cooperation with ACWA Power Co. to implement a common investment project in Kazakhstan with a 1 gigawatt wind power capacity.

On the topic of agriculture, the ambassador said Kazakhstan had plans to start investment projects with Saudi companies: “Taking into account the importance of food security in the near future, I think we can implement and start joint investment projects in agriculture. We want the situation to be win-win — one project in Kazakhstan and one project in Saudi Arabia.”

During the interview, the ambassador applauded the Kingdom for holding high-caliber summits and forums such as the Future Minerals Forum, the FII and LEAP Forum that brought world leaders and influential figures together in one hub.

It presented “a big opportunity to gather all decision-makers and all shareholders of this industry in one place,” he said.

During the recent Future Minerals Forum, he said, the Kazakhstan minister of industry met a lot of Western and US companies in Riyadh and said he could find other gatherings to meet such people.

“That’s why Riyadh is providing a good platform and good opportunity to meet other people,” Menilbekov added.

The envoy reflected on his arrival in the Kingdom as an ambassador in May 2024 and how impressed he had been with both the country and its Vision 2030 initiatives.

“My first impression was very positive; it was very nice. I have known Saudi Arabia for a long time; it is a very rich country in culture, heritage, and religion, and also the biggest economy in the Arab world,” he said.

Menilbekov first visited the Kingdom in 2003, during a trip to Umrah. He returned in 2012, accompanying Kazakhstan Minister of Foreign Affairs Yerzhan Kazykhanov to Riyadh, and in 2017 when he was consul general in Dubai and attended the first Arab, Islamic and US summit. He has also visited various provinces and cities, including Jeddah, Makkah, Madinah, Dammam and Tabuk.

“There are huge reforms and big changes in Saudi Vision 2030, big changes in economic social life, in tourism, in sport,” he said.

“Saudi is fast-growing and implementing all tasks in Saudi Vision 2030, and (it is a) big achievement to host Expo 2030 and (the 2034) World Cup.”