Saudi Arabia launches Geographical Survey Project for Renewable Energy Sites Energy minister: The project to cover an area equivalent to the UK and France combined

RIYADH — Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman launched Geographic Survey Project for Renewable Energy Sites in Saudi Arabia in a ceremony held in Riyadh on Monday.
The contracts for the project were awarded to Saudi companies to install 1,200 stations for measuring solar and wind energy across all regions of the Kingdom.
Minister of energy said in a statement that this project, which is a part of the National Renewable Energy Program, is globally unprecedented in terms of geographical coverage. He noted that the project will include all regions of the Kingdom by surveying over 850,000 square kilometers, excluding populated areas, sand dune areas, and airspace restrictions. He clarified that this area is equivalent to the land area of entire countries, such as approximately the areas of the United Kingdom and France combined, or Germany and Spain combined. He indicated that no other country in the world has previously conducted a geographic survey of this sort on such an area scale.
Prince Abdulaziz said that the project will contribute to identifying the best sites for developing renewable energy projects in the Kingdom's regions in terms of the size of renewable energy resources and the priority of developing these projects. Regarding the comprehensiveness of the data the project will provide, the minister noted that in the first phase, the stations will survey the designated area spreading into all regions of the Kingdom to identify suitable sites for renewable energy projects. Subsequently, the project's stations will be moved to these sites and installed there to continuously provide all required data for implementing renewable energy projects with high accuracy.
The minister explained that solar energy measurement stations, equipped with advanced measurement devices at ground level, will record Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI), Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI), Diffuse Horizontal Irradiance (DHI), dust and pollutant deposition rates, ground-reflected radiation (albedo), ambient temperature, rainfall levels, relative humidity, and atmospheric pressure.
Meanwhile, wind energy measurement stations, which will be installed at different heights, up to 120 meters, will record wind speed and direction, ambient temperature, atmospheric pressure, and relative humidity. The minister indicated that data collection will be conducted using the latest technologies and applying the highest quality standards and global practices.
Prince Abdulaziz said that the project includes establishing a platform at the Ministry of Energy to monitor, record, and transmit measurement data around the clock, so that it can be analyzed and processed digitally, using artificial intelligence technologies, to assess and rank sites based on their suitability for renewable energy projects.
In this context, the minister noted that the accuracy and continuous updating of the project's data make it financeable in accordance with the requirements of local and international financial institutions. He added that this will contribute significantly to the immediate allocation of land lots for renewable energy projects and expedite project announcement and execution, after coordination with relevant authorities. This eliminates the current waiting period of 18 to 24 months to obtain data. He also noted that the availability of such data reduces the risks related to renewable energy projects implementation, increases such projects' investment attractiveness, and encourages investors to participate in the development and investment in renewable energy projects.
Prince Abdulaziz emphasized that this project reaffirms the Kingdom's commitment to achieving its ambitious targets for producing and exporting renewable energy, as it will optimize the utilization of renewable energy resources across the Kingdom, support the Kingdom's strategic position for exporting electricity generated from renewable resources, and promote the Kingdom's aim to produce clean hydrogen.
The project will also primarily contribute to achieving the optimal energy mix targets for electricity production, with renewable energy sources comprising about 50 percent of the energy mix by 2030, and to achieving the goals of the Liquid Fuel Displacement Program by reducing dependence on liquid fuel in electricity generation. "Starting from this year, 2024, the Kingdom will tender new renewable energy projects with a capacity of 20 gigawatts annually, aiming to reach between 100 and 130 gigawatts by 2030, depending on electricity demand growth," he said.
Prince Abdulaziz expressed his gratitude and appreciation to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, who is also chairman of the Supreme Committee for Energy Mix Affairs for Electricity Production and Enabling the Renewable Energy Sector, for their continuous support and assistance to the Ministry of Energy and its ecosystem, as well as to enhance its capabilities and supporting its efforts to achieve the goals of the Kingdom's "Vision 2030".