Riyadh: The fourth edition of the Saudi Green Initiative Forum (SGI Forum 2024) concluded on Wednesday in the Green Zone at the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), hosted in Riyadh. Inaugurated by Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the SGI Forum highlighted Saudi Arabia’s latest progress in energy transition and the key role of women and youth.
According to Saudi Press Agency, over the course of two days, the forum featured 50 speakers in 25 sessions, and more than 1,500 attendees from the public and private sectors participated. During the forum, the Kingdom announced the launch of five initiatives with a total value of SAR225 million, signed 14 memoranda of understanding, and held fruitful discussions aimed at accelerating climate and environmental efforts.
The forum featured the participation of prominent energy sector leaders, including Saudi Aramco President and CEO Amin H. Nasser and TotalE
nergies Chairman and CEO Patrick Pouyanné. Pouyanné stressed the importance of balancing security, affordability, and sustainability-the “energy trilemma”-by adopting a pragmatic approach that combines fossil fuels with renewable energy sources.
Saudi Arabia is making significant strides in its renewable energy journey. The nation aims to reach a substantial 130 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2030. To date, 6.2 gigawatts have been successfully integrated into the grid, and 20 gigawatts worth of projects were initiated in 2024 alone. With a robust pipeline of 44.2 gigawatts under development, the Kingdom is well-positioned to power over 7 million homes with clean electricity.
Since the launch of the Saudi Green Initiative in 2021, the Kingdom has successfully planted over 100 million trees and rehabilitated 118,000 hectares of degraded land, an area larger than 165,000 football fields. This contributes to its goal of planting 10 billion trees and combating desertification.
The forum events includ
ed a dedicated session on the “National Red Sea Sustainability Strategy,” launched on Wednesday by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for the Saudi Green Initiative. The new strategy provides a national framework for protecting biodiversity in the Red Sea and supports the Kingdom’s efforts to develop an advanced model for the blue economy.