The Kingdom has announced that it’s working on a new solar energy project that aim at producing electricity with the lowest cost per kilowatt in the entire world.

The announcement was made earlier by Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister during the “Don’t Forget Our Planet!” conference, which was organized by Saudi Arabia’s Future Investment Initiative Institute (FII-I).

Prince Abdulaziz also revealed that the Kingdom is currently in the process of activating several programs, including increasing the use of electricity by 30 percent through renewable energy, while 50 percent will be generated through hydrocarbon sources, adding that work is also underway to take advantage of the wind energy project to harness it in generating power.

The Kingdom will not back down from its commitment to the energy efficiency project, but has even become a role model for high commitment in all related projects.

Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman said that the Kingdom aims to produce 50% of its electricity from renewable by 2030, adding that Saudi Arabia has plans to expand the use of wind energy.

This project is among other ambitious projects that are part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, the vision’s main aim is to diversify the country’s economy and not have it depend solely on oil.

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has appointed 13 women to the kingdom’s Human Rights Commission and with that, grant them equal representation as men.

The appointments were announced in a royal decree constituting the rights body for its fourth four-year term.

The HRC President Dr Awwad Al Awwad welcomed the appointments, explaining that this comes in light of supporting women and empowering them to take on positions in diverse fields.

“Appointing 13 women as members of the HRC Council, with a total of 26 members, is in line with efforts made by the Kingdom’s leadership to enable women to occupy leading positions in various fields, and helps achieve what is best for the country,”  Dr. Awwad Bin Saleh Al Awwad, president of the Commission, explained.

“It is this support and direction that has had a huge impact on HRC’s ability to carry out its mission and discharge its responsibility in promoting and protecting human rights under the directions of the Saudi leadership […] It has further helped in laying the foundations and instilling a culture of human rights to the benefit of the citizens and residents of this beloved nation,” he added.

This announcement comes a week after Saudi Arabia was ranked the best country in the region for women by CEOWORLD Magazine.

The Kingdom is launching a SR3 trillion plan with the aim of doubling the size of Riyadh in the next 10 years and to turn it into an economic, social and cultural hub for the region.

Fahd Al-Rasheed, president of the Royal Commission for the City of Riyadh, revealed the ambitious plan for the capital city ahead of key meetings of the U20, the arm of the G20 leaders’ summit that deals with urban development and strategy.

“Riyadh is already a very important economic engine for the Kingdom, and although it’s already very successful, the plan now, under Vision 2030, is to actually take that way further, to double the population to 15 million people,” he told Arab News.

“We’ve already launched 18 megaprojects in the city, worth over SR1 trillion, over $250 billion, to both improve livability and deliver much higher economic growth so we can create jobs and double the population in 10 years. It’s a significant plan and the whole city is working to make sure this happens.” He added.

The private sector alone is investing $250 billion, and the same amount has been collected from the increased economic activity from population growth, finance and banking, cultural and desert tourism, and leisure events.

“We must also ensure the growth is managed properly, so there will be a focus on transport and logistics, including the Riyadh metro which will open at the beginning of next year. The aim is to increase productivity,” Al-Rasheed said.

The plan involves the creation of a “mega industrial zone” that focuses on using renewable energy and biotechnology. In addition to using sustainability, with energy conservation, the circular carbon economy with its emphasis on reducing emissions, and water management, all priorities.