Renewable Energy Is The Future: Saudi Arabia's Deputy Minister On Neom And Green Projects

Saudi Arabia understands the necessity of sustainable development and is working on "new energy," Dr Khalid A.A. Al-Ghamdi, deputy minister, International Media Relations, told TIMES NOW. Dr Al-Ghamdi said his country realised the need for shifting energy bases and concentrating on other sources in the country. He was referring to the recent efforts by Saudi Arabia, a giant petroleum producer, to focus on wind and solar energy, both available in abundance in the country. "We are concentrating on our other sources (of energy). We must realise this aspect... renewable energy is important. It is the future of the world. Leading countries are all involved (in building up green energy resources)," he said.Climate change is an issue for the world. And one of Riyadh’s biggest green projects is Neom, a 10,000 sq km green city, that the Saudi Arabian government is building close to the Red Sea. A trillion dollar plus project, it was announced about six years ago and will take some time to complete. Speaking about Neom, which will be powered by solar and wind energy, Dr Al-Al Ghamdi said "it is one of the visionary projects of the leadership."