Saudi Arabia green transition highlights — October 2026

Country highlights from Issue 12 of the EU–GCC Green Transition Newsletter.

Water and energy innovation

The Saudi Water Authority received five awards in Kuala Lumpur. The recognised projects include recovery of minerals from desalination waste and magnesium enrichment at the Shuaibah plant. Awards coverage

Power planning and grid upgrades

At the WPC Energy Congress, Saudi representatives discussed the 2030 goal of a roughly equal gas and renewables generation mix and plans to expand the grid to serve industrial and data-centre demand. Generation mix · Grid investment

Renewables and green hydrogen

The National Development Fund outlined how Saudi development finance and commercial lenders supported the NEOM Green Hydrogen Project. ACWA reported about 7.5 GW in operation and 22.5 GW under construction in its renewables portfolio, with initial NEOM green ammonia shipments expected in 2027. Project finance · ACWA update

Lithium and electric vehicles

NESR announced an agreement with Aramco for a direct lithium extraction demonstration project. Separately, CEER unveiled its first electric sedan and SUV, which it plans to manufacture at King Abdullah Economic City. NESR announcement · CEER announcement