Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and Chairman of Executive Committee of Saudi Center for Energy Efficiency confirmed that building sectors, ground transportation and industry consume 90% of total energy consumption in the Kingdom, so the Saudi Program for energy efficiency has worked on preparation and designing a range of activities consistent with the terms of reference of the Center, aimed at rationalizing and raising the efficiency of consumption in these sectors. The Prince said in a speech before the 11th Saudi Forum for Water and Electricity inaugurated by the Governor of Riyadh region here yesterday evening, "You are well aware that what witnessed by the Kingdom of rapid economic and population growth during the past twenty years has led to a rise in domestic energy consumption at very high rates as a result of inefficient energy production and consumption which caused an increase in energy waste constituting domestic energy consumption about 38% of the Kingdom's total production of oil and gas materials. It is expected that the continued growth of this consumption at a rate ranging between 4-5% annually in the coming years to reach the level of consumption doubling the current level by the year 2030, unless measures to rationalize and raise the efficiency of consumption, and improve production efficiency are taken''. The Prince explained that the establishment of the Saudi Center for Energy Efficiency reflects the State's interest in finding practical solutions to address the part of this waste and the topped list of the Centre's tasks is to set a national program to rationalize and raise the efficiency of energy consumption in coordination with 30 government bodies, many government institutions and companies and the private sector. Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz confirmed that the program targets through the implementation of these measures, their development and modernization and other following up measures to keep up with global practices and standards and save approximately (1.5) one million and a half barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2030. It can also achieve additional saving estimated at (850) eight hundred and fifty thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day at the success of efforts in raising the efficiency of electricity production and desalination plants, in addition to the saving that could be achieved by the optimal use of feedstock in the petrochemical industry, which represents 19% of total energy consumption in the Kingdom which will enhance the optimal use of energy and maximize the financial returns from that so as to provide the Kingdom's future development needs.
