Energy minister opens Saudi pavilion at Astana Expo 2017
RIYADH: Saudi participation in Expo 2017 in Astana reflects the Kingdom’s drive to develop and use sustainable energy, said Minister of Energy, Industry and Natural Resources Khalid Al-Falih.
The Kingdom is participating in the expo in the Kazakh capital with a wing supervised by the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KACARE), in cooperation with public and private energy companies.
Some 115 countries and 18 global organizations are taking part in the three-month event titled “Future Energy,” the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.
Al-Falih, who is also board chairman of KACARE, opened the Kingdom’s wing at the expo in the presence of Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak and Saudi Ambassador in Astana Zafir Al-Inizi.
Al-Falih expressed pleasure over Saudi participation in the event, which he said stems from the Kingdom’s leading global position in the energy sector.
The Kingdom’s future policy in using sustainable and renewable energy sources is in line with Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program (NTP) 2020, he said.
Saudi participation in the event aims to exchange expertise and strengthen relations in the energy sector within an international framework, he added.
The Kingdom has embarked on a strategy to diversify energy resources in a manner that bolsters its leading position on the global energy map, based on competitive advantages that will attract more local and global investors.
The Kingdom plans to produce 3.5 gigawatts of electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020, reaching 9.5 gigawatts by 2023.