Soummane, Salaheddine

Biography

Salaheddine was a senior associate in Consulting. His current work scopes include energy market restructuring, modeling, and regulation.

Before joining KAPSARC, Salaheddine worked as a research associate at the Centre for International Research on Environment and Development (CIRED), a National Centre for Scientific Research lab in Paris, as part of the integrated economy–energy modeling team. He also worked as an economist in the energy markets and environmental regulation unit of the utility group Électricité de France (Paris).

Salaheddine holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Paris-Saclay University (France). His doctoral dissertation assessed potential economic and energy transition pathways for Saudi Arabia. He also holds an M.Sc. in Energy Economics and Law from the University of Montpellier (France), and an M.Sc. in Finance from the Aix-Marseille School of Economics (France).

Publications

See all Salaheddine’s publications
  • Discussion papers
  • Data Insights
  • Instant Insight
  • Commentaries
  • KAPSARC journal articles
  • Think20 (T20)
Closing the Investment Gap to Achieve Paris Agreement Goals

Closing the Investment Gap to Achieve Paris Agreement Goals

This study aims to assess the alignment of global sustainable financial flows with transition investment priorities. First, we identify investment gaps based on the difference between the required annual investment to meet global net-zero emissions (NZE) targets and current investment flows. Our assessment reveals that nearly all countries must significantly accelerate their efforts, as their current investment levels fall short of what is required. Second, and perhaps more importantly, investment gaps are particularly large for non-Annex I (developing) countries. Financing these large-scale investments continues to be a major global challenge. The size of global environmental, social and governance (ESG) finance remains low. Specifically, despite their large investment gaps, developing countries receive only a minor share of global ESG funds, where access to conventional finance is already limited. 

9th October 2023
Impacts of Global Climate Policies on Middle Eastern Oil Exporters: A Review of Economic Implications and Mitigation Strategies

Impacts of Global Climate Policies on Middle Eastern Oil Exporters: A Review of Economic Implications and Mitigation Strategies

Climate policies are tightening in an effort to curb carbon dioxide emissions. As a result, global oil demand may peak and gradually decline, causing oil prices to fall. A structural fall in oil prices may have serious implications for Middle Eastern oil exporters. Many studies attempt to estimate the economic implications of climate change response measures for oil exporting countries. However, they have not reached a consensus regarding the magnitude of these implications.

21st March 2023
Cross-seasonal Fuel Savings from Load Shifting in the Saudi Industrial Sector

Cross-seasonal Fuel Savings from Load Shifting in the Saudi Industrial Sector

Load shifting, that is, moving demand from peak to off-peak hours, is an important type of demand response. It can reduce the overall operating costs of a power system and improve the reliability of the power grid. This study estimates the financial implications of load shifting in the Saudi industrial sector. We use a national Saudi power system dispatch optimization model to simulate three scenarios. With this model, we quantify the impacts of shifting industrial loads from the peak summer to the off-peak winter months, keeping industrial electricity tariffs unchanged.    

11th April 2022
Projecting Saudi Sectoral Electricity Demand in 2030 Using a Computable General Equilibrium Model

Projecting Saudi Sectoral Electricity Demand in 2030 Using a Computable General Equilibrium Model

Projecting future demand for electricity is central to power sector planning, as these projections inform capacity investment requirements and related infrastructure expansions. Electricity is not currently economically storable in large volumes. Thus, the underlying drivers of electricity demand and potential market shifts must be carefully considered to minimize power system costs.

9th September 2021
The Current State and Future of Clean Hydrogen Projects Worldwide

The Current State and Future of Clean Hydrogen Projects Worldwide

This data insight reviews clean hydrogen projects worldwide that are listed in the Hydrogen Projects Database of the International Energy Agency (IEA 2021), which covers hydrogen projects for “energy or climate change mitigation purposes” based on electrolysis, fossil fuels with carbon capture and storage (CCS), or other technologies.

25th May 2022
Saudi Electricity Demand Drops for the First Time on Record

Saudi Electricity Demand Drops for the First Time on Record

Since 1990, Saudi Arabia’s electricity consumption has risen rapidly and consistently, at an average rate of around 6% per year. This growth rate is considerably high when compared with the global average growth rate of 3% and 4.8% in developed countries. In 2012, Saudi Arabia established the Saudi Energy Efficiency Center (SEEC) and Saudi Energy Efficiency Program (SEEP) to curb inefficient electricity consumption.

12th October 2020
Saudi Electricity Demand for 2018-2019 based on Saudi Electricity Company Data

Saudi Electricity Demand for 2018-2019 based on Saudi Electricity Company Data

Saudi electricity demand grew by 5% per year between 2010 and 2018. The Saudi government implemented two energy price reforms, in 2016 and 2018, which included significant electricity tariff hikes. The government also implemented a range of efficiency measures to mitigate electricity demand growth. Since 2016, Saudi electricity demand has flattened at around 300 terawatthours (TWh).      

21st June 2020
Impact of the COVID-19 Lockdown on Electricity Demand: Global Insights and Implications for Saudi Arabia

Impact of the COVID-19 Lockdown on Electricity Demand: Global Insights and Implications for Saudi Arabia

The impact of curfews and lockdowns on total electricity demand as a result of the spread of COVID-19 depends on many factors. This insight provides a summary of the immediate demand impacts in selected regions around the world due to lockdown measures. We will follow this up with a second insight, presenting several scenarios for the evolution of electricity demand in Saudi Arabia for the rest of 2020.  

11th June 2020
Fostering Net-Zero Transition Pathways: The Role of Clean Hydrogen

Fostering Net-Zero Transition Pathways: The Role of Clean Hydrogen

In early 2022, 80 countries (including Saudi Arabia), representing around 74% of global greenhouse gas emissions, pledged to reach net-zero emissions (NZE) in the coming decades. Achieving these ambitious climate policy objectives requires shifting the energy mix toward existing and emerging low-carbon technologies.

8th December 2022
Overview of Saudi Electricity Demand (1970–2018)

Overview of Saudi Electricity Demand (1970–2018)

Saudi Arabia’s demand for electricity is undergoing unprecedented changes. In recent years, the government has implemented several efficiency measures and pricing reforms to curb demand growth. These measures started delivering concrete results in 2016. After decades of rapid growth, the Kingdom’s electricity demand started flattening and eventually fell for the first time on record in 2019 (Soummane 2020). This commentary traces the evolution of Saudi electricity demand over the past half-century.  

29th March 2021

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