Energy Policy Pathways to Inform Climate Policy in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has announced plans to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 278 million tons of CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e). In this regard, this paper contributes a modeling view of the climate-related effects of various energy policies on the Saudi energy system. The baseline entails the continued progression of current domestic policies without energy price reform. We examine two main alternative scenarios: The announced policies scenario (APS) incorporates some of the plans that the Saudi government has announced. In the other scenario, we run the baseline scenario with a cap on total CO₂ emissions equal to those displayed in the announced policies.

Walid Matar

Principal Fellow- Oil & Gas Walid works on modeling energy systems. He is developing or has developed the following components of the KAPSARC Energy Model…

Walid works on modeling energy systems. He is developing or has developed the following components of the KAPSARC Energy Model (KEM): electric power generation, oil refining, petrochemicals and fertilizers, cement production, and iron and steel. He is also working on a bottom-up residential electricity use framework that merges microeconomics with the physical laws governing electricity use.

Expertise

Energy Systems Modeling
Optimization
Electricity Prices
Energy Efficiency and the Interdisciplinary Connection Between Energy Economics and Engineering

Publications See all Walid Matar’s publications

Does integrating oil refining with petrochemicals provide long-term benefits for Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia has announced plans to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 278 million tons…

25th March 2025

Alternative Fuels and Processes for Saudi Construction Materials Companies

Saudi Arabia has announced plans to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 278 million tons…

11th February 2025

Noura Mansouri

Senior Fellow- Climate & Sustainability Noura Mansouri is a senior fellow in the Climate & Sustainability team under Knowledge and Analysis. She is leading two…

Noura Mansouri is a senior fellow in the Climate & Sustainability team under Knowledge and Analysis. She is leading two projects: (i) The Circular Carbon Economy Technology Roadmaps (CCE-TRMs), and (ii) the Nationally Determined Contributions Implementation Roadmaps (NDC-IRMs). Noura served as the (lead) co-chair of the T20 Task Force on Climate Change and Environment/Sustainable Energy since the Saudi G20 presidency and continued the role under subsequent presidencies including the Italian, Indonesian and Indian G20 presidencies. Dr. Mansouri has over 20 years of research and professional experience including academia, think tank, and international energy company experiences. She earned her MBA and Ph.D. degrees in climate change, sustainability and energy transitions from the University of London and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at MIT. She is the author of Greening the Black Gold: Saudi Arabia’s Quest for Clean Energy. Noura has published extensively and spoken widely on climate change, sustainability, and energy transition.

Expertise