UAE’s ADNOC to double renewable energy portfolio in next 10 years

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ADNOC will also reduce greenhouse gas intensity by an additional 25 percent. (Reuters)
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Widodo witnessed the signing of the deals with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed over the weekend during an official visit to Abu Dhabi. (WAM)
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Updated 13 January 2020
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UAE’s ADNOC to double renewable energy portfolio in next 10 years

  • ADNOC will also reduce greenhouse gas intensity by an additional 25 percent
  • Indonesia signed 11 business deals with the UAE worth $23 billion

ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC) grew its renewable energy portfolio by more than 400 percent in the last 10 years, and is on track to double that again in the coming decade, chief executive Sultan Al-Jaber said on Monday.

“We will increase our carbon capture utilization and storage program by 500 percent … to capture the same amount of C02 as 5 million acres of forest,” Jaber told a sustainable energy event in the United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi.

ADNOC will also reduce greenhouse gas intensity by an additional 25 percent and limit fresh water consumption to below 0.5 percent of total water use.

Indonesia signed 11 business deals with the United Arab Emirates worth a combined 314.9 trillion rupiah ($23 billion) covering investment in energy and other sectors, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said via his Twitter account on Monday.

Widodo witnessed the signing of the deals with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed over the weekend during an official visit to Abu Dhabi, his tweet said.

President Widodo, who began his second term in office in October, is keen to boost foreign investment to help create jobs and boost growth in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy where economic growth has been stuck at around 5% for several years.

In the petrochemical and gas sectors, ADNOC signed deals with Indonesian companies PT Pertamina and PT Chandra Asri Petrochemicals , UAE state news agency WAM reported.

They included an agreement for ADNOC to supply 528,000 tons of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) to Pertamina by the end of 2020, WAM said.

Prior to the visit, Indonesian ministers had outlined some of the deals, including an agreement between Pertamina and ADNOC to upgrade a refinery in Balongan, West Java.

Widodo said five agreements were also signed between the governments. Agreements covered education, health, agriculture and counter-terrorism, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in a statement.

Widodo and the crown prince also discussed a plan to establish a sovereign wealth fund, Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan said.

Japan’s Softbank and the US International Development Finance Corp. (IDFC) were also interested in taking part in the fund, Pandjaitan said in a statement.

The UAE would be able to use the fund to invest in the development of Indonesia’s proposed new capital in East Kalimantan province on Borneo Island.

It is also interested in investing in a property development in Aceh province on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, Pandjaitan said.


School, hotel outlays keep Saudi POS weekly spending above $3bn: SAMA

Updated 13 sec ago
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School, hotel outlays keep Saudi POS weekly spending above $3bn: SAMA

RIYADH: Spending on education in Saudi Arabia increased by 4.3 percent for the week ending Jan. 10, while hotel outlays saw a 0.9 percent increase, aiding the total weekly spending to stay above $3 billion.

According to the latest data from the Saudi Central Bank, the overall point-of-sale value dropped 16.6 percent to SR14.2 billion ($3.79 billion) with transactions representing a 7.3 percent week-on-week decrease to 236.7 million.

This week saw negative changes across all the remaining sectors.

Spending in the freight transport, postal, and courier services sector saw the biggest decrease at 35.9 percent to SR47.60 million, followed by telecommunications, which posted a 26.2 percent drop to SR188.42 million.

Expenditure on apparel and clothing saw a fall of 19.3 percent to SR1.3 billion, followed by an 18.3 percent decrease in spending on books and stationery. Jewelry outlays saw a 22.3 percent decrease to reach SR422.54 million.

Spending on car rentals in Saudi Arabia fell by 14.2 percent, while airlines saw a 6.3 percent decrease to SR48.04 million.

Expenditure on food and beverages saw a 23.6 percent decrease to SR2.07 billion, claiming the largest share of the POS. Restaurants and cafes retained the second position despite a 7.3 percent dip to SR1.76 billion.

The Kingdom’s key urban centers mirrored the national decline. Riyadh, which accounted for the largest share of total POS spending, saw a 13.6 percent dip to SR4.85 billion, down from SR5.61 billion the previous week.

The number of transactions in the capital settled at 74.78 million, down 6.1 percent week on week.

In Jeddah, transaction values decreased by 9.5 percent to SR2.02 billion, while Dammam reported a 15 percent decrease to SR707.12 million.

POS data, tracked weekly by SAMA, provides an indicator of consumer spending trends and the ongoing growth of digital payments in the Kingdom. 

The data also highlights the expanding reach of POS infrastructure, extending beyond major retail hubs to smaller cities and service sectors, supporting broader digital inclusion initiatives. 

The growth of digital payment technologies aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 objectives, promoting electronic transactions and contributing to the Kingdom’s broader digital economy.