Saudi Arabia: Start of mapping prospecting for renewable energies

The Saudi Ministry of Energy has launched an innovative mapping project covering 850,000 km² to identify the best sites for solar and wind energy.
Cartographie énergie renouvelable

Partagez:

Saudi Arabia recently inaugurated an ambitious project to map potential sites for the development of renewable energy projects. This project, part of the National Renewable Energy Program, is unprecedented on a global scale in terms of geographical coverage. In fact, it covers more than 850,000 square kilometers, an area comparable to the combined land area of the United Kingdom and France, or Germany and Spain. Contracts for this project have been awarded to Saudi companies, who will be responsible for installing 1,200 solar and wind energy measuring stations across all regions of the Kingdom. The Minister of Energy, Prince AbdulAziz bin Salman bin AbdulAziz Al Saud, stressed the importance of this project in identifying the most promising sites in terms of renewable resources and development priorities.

Project operation and objectives

In the first phase, these stations will collect data on solar irradiation and wind levels. This crucial information will enable us to select optimal sites for renewable energy projects. Once these sites have been identified, the stations will be relocated for continuous monitoring, guaranteeing accurate, real-time data for project implementation. The solar energy measuring stations will be equipped with state-of-the-art devices recording various parameters such as direct normal irradiance (DNI), global horizontal irradiance (GHI), diffuse horizontal irradiance (DHI), as well as dust and pollutant deposition rates, ground radiation (albedo), ambient temperature, precipitation levels, relative humidity and atmospheric pressure. Wind energy measurement stations will be installed at various heights, up to 120 meters, and will record wind speed and direction, ambient temperature, atmospheric pressure and relative humidity.

Technology and Financial Benefits

The project incorporates cutting-edge technologies for data collection and analysis, including artificial intelligence, to rank sites according to their suitability for renewable energy projects. A platform will also be set up within the Ministry of Energy to continuously monitor, record and transmit data. This enables rapid and accurate digital analysis, facilitating the allocation of land for projects and speeding up their announcement and execution. The Minister pointed out that the availability of this data reduces the risks associated with the implementation of renewable energy projects, increases their attractiveness to investors, and encourages participation in developments and investments in these projects. Reducing data collection times from the current 18 to 24 months to immediate availability is a significant advantage for the sector.

Strategic Impact and Future Commitments

This project reaffirms Saudi Arabia’s commitment to achieving its ambitious targets for the production and export of renewable energy. It optimizes the use of renewable resources across the Kingdom, supports the Kingdom’s strategic position in the export of renewable electricity and promotes the production of clean hydrogen. The initiative also contributes to the objectives of the optimal energy mix program for power generation, aiming for renewable energy sources to account for around 50% of the energy mix by 2030. The project also supports the liquid fuel substitution program, reducing dependence on liquid fuels for power generation. Starting this year, the Kingdom will launch new renewable energy projects with a capacity of 20 gigawatts per year, with the aim of reaching between 100 and 130 gigawatts by 2030, depending on the growth in electricity demand.
Gratitude was expressed to King Salman bin AbdulAziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin AbdulAziz Al Saud for their continued support of the Ministry of Energy and its initiatives to achieve the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

According to the 2025 report on global energy access, despite notable progress in renewable energy, insufficient targeted financing continues to hinder electricity and clean cooking access, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
While advanced economies maintain global energy leadership, China and the United States have significantly progressed in the security and sustainability of their energy systems, according to the World Economic Forum's annual report.
On the sidelines of the US–Africa summit in Luanda, Algiers and Luanda consolidate their energy collaboration to better exploit their oil, gas, and mining potential, targeting a common strategy in regional and international markets.
The UK's Climate Change Committee is urging the government to quickly reduce electricity costs to facilitate the adoption of heat pumps and electric vehicles, judged too slow to achieve the set climate targets.
The European Commission will extend until the end of 2030 an expanded state-aid framework, allowing capitals to fund low-carbon technologies and nuclear power to preserve competitiveness against China and the United States.
Japan's grid operator forecasts an energy shortfall of up to 89 GW by 2050 due to rising demand from semiconductor manufacturing, electric vehicles, and artificial intelligence technologies.
Energy-intensive European industries will be eligible for temporary state aid to mitigate high electricity prices, according to a new regulatory framework proposed by the European Commission under the "Clean Industrial Deal."
Mauritius seeks international investors to swiftly build a floating power plant of around 100 MW, aiming to secure the national energy supply by January 2026 and address current production shortfalls.
Madrid announces immediate energy storage measures while Lisbon secures its electrical grid, responding to the historic outage that affected the entire Iberian Peninsula in late April.
Indonesia has unveiled its new national energy plan, projecting an increase of 69.5 GW in electricity capacity over ten years, largely funded by independent producers, to address rapidly rising domestic demand.
French Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher condemns the parliamentary moratorium on new renewable energy installations, warning of the potential loss of 150,000 industrial jobs and increased energy dependence on foreign countries.
The European battery regulation, fully effective from August 18, significantly alters industrial requirements related to electric cars and bicycles, imposing strict rules on recycling, supply chains, and transparency for companies.
The European Parliament calls on the Commission to strengthen energy infrastructure and accelerate the implementation of the Clean Industrial Deal to enhance the continent's energy flexibility and security amid increased market volatility.
The European Commission unveils an ambitious plan to modernize electricity grids and introduces the Clean Industrial Deal, mobilizing hundreds of billions of euros to strengthen the continent's industrial and energy autonomy.
In the United States, regulated electric grid operators hold a decisive advantage in connecting new data centres to the grid, now representing 134 GW of projects, according to a Wood Mackenzie report published on June 19.
The French National Assembly approves a specific target of 200 TWh renewable electricity production by 2030 within a legislative text extensively debated about the future national energy mix.
In 2024, US CO₂ emissions remain stable at 5.1bn tonnes, as the Trump administration prepares hydrocarbon-friendly energy policies, raising questions about the future evolution of the American market.
The early publication of France's energy decree triggers strong parliamentary reactions, as the government aims to rapidly secure investments in nuclear and other energy sectors.
Seven weeks after the major Iberian power outage, Spain identifies technical network failures, while the European Investment Bank approves major funding to strengthen the interconnection with France.
The European Union has announced a detailed schedule aiming to definitively halt Russian gas imports by the end of 2027, anticipating internal legal and commercial challenges to overcome.