Saudis Switch to Solar, Nuclear at Home, Saving Oil for Export
Saudis Switch to Solar, Nuclear at Home, Saving Oil for Export
April 5th, 2011
Via: Forbes:
Sunny Saudi Arabia plans to shift most of its domestic energy use to solar and nuclear power, diverting more oil to exports, a Saudi official said yesterday at the Third Saudi Solar Energy Forum in Riyadh.
“The use of alternative sustainable and reliable resources reduces dependency on hydrocarbons and keeps them as a source for income for future generations,” said Khalid Al Sulaiman, the vice president for renewable energy at a center called the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy.
In conjunction with Sulaiman’s speech, the Saudi government published a statement through the Middle East and North Africa News Network that emphasized Saudi Arabia’s growing energy demands — from 43 gigawatts in the summer of 2010 to more than 120 gigawatts in 2030— because of population growth and development.
But Sulaiman’s comments, reported in Saudi newspapers including the Saudi Gazette and Arab News, make clear the kingdom’s alternative-energy program is designed not just to meet the demands of future growth, but to reduce use of fossil fuels, leaving more petroleum to enrich the kingdom through exports.
“To meet this growing energy demand and maintain long-term economic prosperity, it is critical that the Kingdom add new power generating capacity while reducing the amount of fossil fuels used to produce electricity,” Sulaiman said.
Saudi Arabia also plans to create jobs by creating a solar power manufacturing industry, making and possibly exporting its own solar-power generation equipment.
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