Publications

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

Walid Matar

To integrate or not to integrate petrochemicals – that is the question posed by this paper for Saudi Arabian oil refineries. The viability of combining domestic oil refining and petrochemical activities is investigated using an energy system model for Saudi…

Matar, Walid

Alternative Fuels and Processes for Saudi Construction Materials Companies

Walid Matar, Sid Ahmed Hamdani, Faris Aljamed

Producing construction materials requires a great amount of energy, and in Saudi Arabia, this production currently entails the use of substantial amounts of liquid fuels. Liquid fuels are mostly sold at below-market prices domestically, and thus result in large opportunity…

Matar, Walid

Hamdani, Sid Ahmed

Aljamed, Faris

The Impact of Displacing Fuel Oil on Saudi Refineries

Walid Matar

Saudi Arabia aims to displace fuel oil in its electricity system and industry. Such a move ­will impact the operation of its oil refineries, and this commentary explores ­these potential effects.

Matar, Walid

Using Satellite Technology to Measure Methane Emissions in Arabian Gulf Countries

Anwar Gasim, Walid Matar, Abdelrahman Muhsen, Srivatsan Anand, Julian Akani Guery

Decision makers need high-quality information on the level of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to take effective climate actions. Of the GHGs, methane can be particularly difficult to measure. Huge discrepancies exist in methane emission estimates at the global, national, and…

Gasim, Anwar

Matar, Walid

Muhsen, Abdelrahman

Srivatsan Anand

Julian Akani Guery

Web-Based User Interfaces for Mathematical Models to Support Decisions: The Fuel Distribution Network Optimizer

Nourah Al Hosain, Jaidaa Alidrisi, Amr Alruthai, Walid Matar, Abdelrahman Muhsen, Pavithra Kumar Shetty, Lama Yaseen, Abeer AlGhamdi

Mathematical models provide quantitative analyses that can inform policy decisions. We argue that two attributes can support models’ adoption by policymakers: an intuitive graphical interface and active engagement between modelers and policymakers.

Al Hosain, Nourah

Alidrisi, Jaidaa

Alruthai, Amr

Matar, Walid

Muhsen, Abdelrahman

Shetty, Pavithra Kumar

Yaseen, Lama

AlGhamdi, Abeer

An Exposition of Bilinear “Implicit” Subsidy Equations

Walid Matar

The price-gap method is popularly applied to estimate energy subsidies, and it simply involves calculating the difference between the market and domestic prices of a good multiplied by the quantity consumed. In the case where subsidies impose foregone revenue rather…

Matar, Walid

Energy Policy Pathways to Inform Climate Policy in Saudi Arabia

Science Direct

Walid Matar, Noura Mansouri, Evar Umeozor

Satellite-Assisted Methane Emissions Intensity from Saudi Oil and Gas Production in 2023

Anwar Gasim, Abdulmalik Kurdi, Walid Matar, Abdelrahman Muhsen

In its latest release of the Global Methane Tracker, the International Energy Agency (IEA) imputes methane intensity for each oil and gas producer for 2023.

Gasim, Anwar

Abdulmalik Kurdi

Matar, Walid

Muhsen, Abdelrahman

Using Satellite Technology to Measure Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Saudi Arabia

Anwar Gasim, Walid Matar, Abdelrahman Muhsen

Measuring and monitoring greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are crucial to address climate change and fulfill Paris Agreement objectives. This paper explores the potential of satellite technology in measuring and tracking CH4, CO2, and N2O emissions in Saudi Arabia, collaborating with…

Gasim, Anwar

Matar, Walid

Muhsen, Abdelrahman

Energy Policy Pathways to Inform Climate Policy in Saudi Arabia

Walid Matar, Noura Mansouri, Evar Umeozor

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…

Matar, Walid

Mansouri, Noura

Umeozor, Evar

A Decomposition Approach to Energy Policy Analysis

Walid Matar

Index decomposition analysis (IDA) has been used to study energy use movements since the 1980s. Methods at that time consisted primarily of multiplying factors that ultimately yielded the aggregate quantity, such as energy use. IDA is a straightforward way for…

Matar, Walid

Modeling the Distribution and Transshipment of Refined Oil Products

Walid Matar

KAPSARC has developed an optimization model to characterize the distribution of oil products after the refining stage. The model ensures that the demand for any group of refined oil products is simultaneously met while minimizing the social costs associated with…

Matar, Walid

Real Gross Domestic Income for Saudi Arabia From 1986 to 2021

Walid Matar

A country’s national income is defined as the total market value of its output. The most used measure for national income is gross domestic product (GDP). One way to estimate GDP for a country is to sum its government consumption,…

Matar, Walid

Alternative Fuels for Saudi Cement Manufacturing with Time-varying Carbon Pricing

Walid Matar, Doaa Filali

After cement production in Saudi Arabia surged in the first half of the 2010s due to the country’s rapid economic development, it has slowed measurably in recent years as economic growth has declined. This is shown in Figure 1, along…

Matar, Walid

Doaa Filali

Revisiting Energy Subsidy Calculations: A Focus on Saudi Arabia

IAEE

Walid Matar, Anwar Gasim

How Would Real-time Electricity Pricing Affect the Saudi Power Sector in the Long-run?

Science Direct

Walid Matar

Long-run Effects of Real-time Electricity Pricing in the Saudi Power Sector

Walid Matar

This study explores the potential effects of real-time electricity pricing on the operations of Saudi Arabia’s power generation sector. The Kingdom currently sets fuel prices for power utilities at levels that suppress the costs of power generation. However, this analysis…

Matar, Walid

On the Incremental Investment in Residential Energy Efficiency: A Saudi Perspective

Taylor & Francis Online

This paper examines the marginal welfare gain of adopting higher energy efficiency after another efficiency measure has already been installed. For example, how does installing stringent thermal insulation influence energy efficiency investment decisions thereafter? A mathematical model that embeds a…

Walid Matar

Can Oil Refiners Adjust to a Greater Supply of Shale Oil?

Walid Matar, Rami Shabaneh

The advent of American shale oil and its prospects for continued production growth have raised concerns about whether oil refineries can handle the increasingly lighter crude oil supply. To provide a perspective on this issue, we run a global oil…

Matar, Walid

Shabaneh, Rami

Real Gross Domestic Income for Saudi Arabia: A Measure of National Income

Anwar Gasim, Walid Matar

“A country’s national income is defined as the total market value of its output. The most used measure for national income is gross domestic product (GDP). One way to estimate GDP for a country is to sum its government consumption,…

Gasim, Anwar

Matar, Walid