Alwosheel, Abdulrahman

  • Primary Program Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Research Interests Transport Demand Modeling, Aviation Transport, Life Cycle Analysis, Alternative Fuels and Energy Demand

Biography

Abdulrahman is a Lead Transportation & Infrastructure expert at King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC). Before joining KAPSARC, Abdulrahman was a Lecturer at the College of Engineering at Muhammed Ibn Saud University. He also worked as a Traffic Engineer at the Riyadh Metro project. His interests are in transport demand modeling, aviation transport, life cycle analysis, alternative fuels, and energy demand. Abdulrahman holds a master’s degree in Transportation Planning and Engineering and a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering.

Publications

See all Abdulrahman’s publications
  • Discussion papers
  • Methodology paper
  • Reports
  • Data Insights
  • Commentaries
  • KAPSARC journal articles
Future Seaborne Exports and Their Impacts on Bunker Energy Demand: An Estimation of Saudi Container Seaports

Future Seaborne Exports and Their Impacts on Bunker Energy Demand: An Estimation of Saudi Container Seaports

Seaports are crucial for facilitating maritime trade and integrating countries into the global economy. Understanding port business dynamics, including trade and the impact on bunker energy demand, is essential for a nation’s competitiveness. Saudi Arabia’s ports are strategically situated at an advantageous location that connects Asia, Africa, and Europe. It is important to study current and future trade and investigate their implications for bunker energy demand. This study used data covering the period from 1991 to 2021 and employed a fixed effects linear model with an autoregressive disturbance to estimate outliers and detect breaks to estimate the compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) of exports. The results provide a rough estimation of future exports from Saudi container ports and the corresponding bunker energy demand up to 2040. We used energy intensity figures and the average export distance between Saudi Arabia and its trading partners for energy estimation. As of 2021, the estimated energy demand was about 28,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (Kboe/d). Using 2021 as the baseline year, bunker energy demand is expected to increase to 45 Kboe/d by 2040 under the medium growth scenario, with Jeddah and King Abdullah Port (KAP) accounting for approximately 61% of the total demand.

22nd May 2025
Environmental Performance of Passenger Cars in the KSA: Comparison of Different Technologies via a Life Cycle Assessment Approach

Environmental Performance of Passenger Cars in the KSA: Comparison of Different Technologies via a Life Cycle Assessment Approach

Analyzing the environmental performance of alternative vehicle technologies in the current energy landscape of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is very important given their expected role in future transportation systems. This study presents a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) of sedans and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) powered by different propulsion systems to analyze their environmental performance in the KSA context. The LCA examines multiple impact categories, with a particular focus on global warming potential (GWP). The results reveal that hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) consistently demonstrate the lowest GWP across both sedan and SUV vehicle classes, achieving reductions of approximately 30%, 28%, and 22%, respectively, compared with the baseline gasoline-powered internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) also exhibit lower GWP (approximately 16%) than do conventional ICEVs but to a lesser extent than do other advanced powertrains.

18th December 2024
Life Cycle Assessment of Road Freight Decarbonization in Saudi Arabia

Life Cycle Assessment of Road Freight Decarbonization in Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is committed to transitioning towards a diversified, low-carbon economy, necessitating the decarbonization of its road freight sector, which is a significant source of domestic energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study addresses the critical need to evaluate and compare the life cycle climate impacts of current and alternative truck powertrain technologies within KSA. We conducted a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of various truck powertrains, including internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).

9th December 2024
Geothermal Energy – A Rising Powerhouse? A Global Technical Review and Applications for Saudi Arabia

Geothermal Energy – A Rising Powerhouse? A Global Technical Review and Applications for Saudi Arabia

The Earth’s core, which is as hot as the sun, contains a large amount of thermal energy insulated by impermeable rocks. This energy, totaling 15 million zetta joules, dwarfs traditional energy sources such as coal and gas. However, only a fraction of this energy has been utilized, with global geothermal operations contributing just 16 gigawatts (GW), or less than 0.5%, of renewable energy in 2021. Barriers such as high upfront costs, long revenue gestation periods, technical limitations, and social/administrative constraints impede its widespread adoption.

14th October 2024
Fuel Efficiency in Saudi Arabia’s Aviation Sector: Progress and Future Implications

Fuel Efficiency in Saudi Arabia’s Aviation Sector: Progress and Future Implications

Despite the fast global expansion of the aviation industry, due to its sustainability issues, the industry’s concerns about energy efficiency and emissions are still very important. Studying the changing energy consumption patterns in Saudi Arabia is crucial, as the country is expected to see significant changes in the coming years with new infrastructure, an increase in tourism, and new airlines.

25th July 2023
Estimating Regional Variation in Saudi Arabia’s Energy Usage and Carbon Emissions

Estimating Regional Variation in Saudi Arabia’s Energy Usage and Carbon Emissions

Estimates of regional energy consumption and carbon emissions could be useful for agencies investigating the effects of regionally targeted investments and policy interventions. Using gasoline consumption in Saudi Arabia as a case study, we develop two approaches for estimating the regional variation in gasoline consumption in Saudi Arabia: a sector-specific approach and a generic econometrics-based approach. Our findings reveal that Riyadh and Makkah, which account for 60% of the nation’s population and economic activity, consume 58% of the country’s gasoline. In contrast, the Eastern Region accounts for 22% of economic activity but only 11% of gasoline consumption, in line with its population concentration of approximately 15%. Furthermore, the correlation between the sector-specific and generic econometrics-based approaches suggests that the latter may be a good proxy for estimating regional variations in energy consumption.

18th June 2023
Approach and Initial Findings in Modeling Future Seaborne Trade and Its Impact on Energy Demand

Approach and Initial Findings in Modeling Future Seaborne Trade and Its Impact on Energy Demand

International shipping contributes approximately 3% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, prompting the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to aim for net-zero shipping greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 to mitigate climate change. Shipping is a critical link between countries for transporting goods, and its future advancements will hinge primarily on customer demand for goods and regional growth trends. This study has a dual objective. First, this work seeks to establish a methodological framework for forecasting the trajectory of future global trade. Second, it aims to utilize the estimated future seaborne trade to understand the impact on energy demand in the shipping sector across three scenarios.

26th November 2024
Saudi Arabia’s Transport Sector in Transition: Life Cycle Perspectives

Saudi Arabia’s Transport Sector in Transition: Life Cycle Perspectives

Transportation is a fundamental driver of economic growth but also a significant contributor to environmental challenges such as air pollution and climate change. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has set ambitious objectives to diversify and decarbonize its economy in order to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060. To support decision-making on decarbonizing KSA’s transport sector, it is essential to understand the carbon impacts of current and alternative powertrains over their entire life cycles. This report develops a comparative greenhouse-gas-focused life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology for passenger vehicles, road freight, aviation, and marine transport, covering a range of major powertrain types and fuel chains. The transport modes are assessed under two energy scenarios: business as usual (BAU) and dynamic low carbon (DLC). The BAU scenario is based on the conditions of the electricity generation mix in 2022, and the DLC scenario extends to 2035, accounting for temporal aspects such as the increasing share of low-carbon and renewable energy in KSA’s energy system during the lifespan of different transport modes. By combining the standardized LCA framework with relevant methodological choices, the report assesses the life cycle of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for four types of transport – passenger, road freight, aviation, and maritime.

20th May 2025
Electric Vehicle Battery Chemistry Evolutions: Critical Mineral Implications

Electric Vehicle Battery Chemistry Evolutions: Critical Mineral Implications

The energy and transport transition will require a wider volume and range of materials than the systems that it is replacing. This has become an increasingly important topic across both the government and private sectors over the last decade. A crucial component of this materiality is the quantum of minerals required to produce the lithium-ion batteries projected to be needed to power the global electric vehicle (EV) fleet, which is anticipated to be a crucial part of the decarbonization of the global transport sector. These batteries require differing amounts of minerals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, iron, and phosphate, depending on the battery chemistry employed, and this, in turn, defines the energy density and performance of the battery.

18th December 2024
India’s Shift Toward Alternative Fuel Vehicles: An Overview

India’s Shift Toward Alternative Fuel Vehicles: An Overview

As the second-largest automobile market in the world, India has been actively working towards promoting cleaner transportation and reducing its carbon footprint. This paper analyzes the sales trends of vehicles by different vehicle type and provide an overview of the composition of vehicle fleets in India by fuel technology, different fuel technologies, including gasoline, diesel, hybrid, electric, and others. The report aims to provide valuable insights for policymakers, industry leaders, and consumers, as they navigate the rapidly changing automotive landscape in India.

30th January 2024
Worldwide intraregional and interregional air passenger traffic volume distribution

Worldwide intraregional and interregional air passenger traffic volume distribution

Aviation, like other transport modes, is essential for the economy; it facilitates business and trade, allows people to connect with different regions/cities, and generate tourism. Air traffic at the country or regional level is quite interesting by analyzing and comparing its relative contribution to the worldwide air transport volume of passengers, considering domestic and international transport. As a result, the impact and importance of aviation for passengers vary by geography, giving a better understanding of how regions concentrate passengers’ air traffic volume. It also provides a global overview of the development and concentration of future growth.

23rd November 2023
Worldwide Intraregional and Interregional Air Freight Traffic Volume Distribution

Worldwide Intraregional and Interregional Air Freight Traffic Volume Distribution

Freight by air does not comprise a significant share of the worldwide tonnage due to its cost compared to land (road and rail) and sea transport. However, air freight is important for commodities that either have high values or are time-sensitive. For instance, documents, perishable products, electronics, pharmaceuticals, or emergency shipments of spare parts are commonly shipped by air. Although the demand for air freight could have a more important role in landlocked countries or developing regions where land transport infrastructure is scarce, it is limited because of the imbalances between inbound and outbound flows. Consequently, considering freight traffic volume worldwide concentration and distribution among countries or regions is remarkable when compared with its relative contribution to the global freight volume.

26th October 2023
Global Geothermal Electricity and Heat Generation Since 2000

Global Geothermal Electricity and Heat Generation Since 2000

Geothermal energy is a form of renewable energy generated by tapping into the Earth’s internal heat. This heat is produced by the radioactive decay of minerals and the original heat of the Earth, which dates to its formation. There are several ways to generate electricity from geothermal energy: Dry steam power plants, flash steam power plants, and binary cycle power plants. Geothermal energy has several advantages as a source of electricity: It is reliable, relatively cheap to produce, and produces very low levels of greenhouse gas emissions. It is also a domestic energy source, reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels. This Data Insight will present trends in geothermal electricity and heat generation by region.

25th October 2023
Aircraft seating capacity designation by selected airlines in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia/Pacific, North America, and Latin America

Aircraft seating capacity designation by selected airlines in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia/Pacific, North America, and Latin America

Aircraft capacity utilization is one of the main factors in an airline’s productivity. It is also vital when analyzing both energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the aviation sector per passenger. In fact, the energy consumption by passengers in aviation has enormous variations due to two main factors: a. the aircraft characteristics; and b. the occupancy rate—the maximum aircraft capacity used. Although airlines have different aircraft fleets with varying seating configurations, the aircraft are usually broken down into the following general categories: a. small narrowbody aircraft with 150 seats or less in a two-class configuration; b. large narrowbody aircraft with 151 seats or more in a two-class configuration; and c. widebody aircraft with a two-aisle configuration. In addition, flight length classification criteria can alter from one airline carrier to another with no global standard agreed on, but routes are typically categorized into long-, medium-, or short-haul; however, certain aircraft are well known as long-haul flight operators depending on the aircraft’s technical characteristics.

25th October 2023
Current and Future Trends in Saudi Arabia’s Container Throughput

Current and Future Trends in Saudi Arabia’s Container Throughput

The maritime sector is a key pillar for the diversification of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s economy, and it has been prioritised by the Saudi government due to its strategic importance. Saudi Vision 2030 has set a target for making KSA a global logistics hub. Correspondingly, the Kingdom has been investing heavily in its seaports to modernize their infrastructure and increase their capacity. For instance, several projects are now underway to boost the maritime transport sector, costing around 6 billion Saudi Arabian riyals (SAR) (USD $1.6 billion).

25th May 2022
Post-Covid Recovery of Air Traffic in Saudi Arabia

Post-Covid Recovery of Air Traffic in Saudi Arabia

The dramatic drop in air traffic caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the related travel restrictions has significantly impacted the aviation industry in Saudi Arabia and around the world. The sector has suffered considerable losses due to the reduction in passenger traffic.

25th May 2022
Aviation Fuel Consumed and Passengers Carried in Saudi Arabia

Aviation Fuel Consumed and Passengers Carried in Saudi Arabia

The air transport sector in Saudi Arabia has an important impact on the economy (e.g., job creation, gross domestic product, and gross value added). Over 690 routes are registered in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for both domestic and international travel. There are currently 141 domestic routes. This data insight presents the fuel consumed and total passengers carried by the aviation sector over the past 10 years.

7th December 2021
Impact of COVID-19 on Passenger Railway Demand in Saudi Arabia

Impact of COVID-19 on Passenger Railway Demand in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Railways Organization (SRO) operates a network of approximately 1,400 kilometers (km). This network links the Eastern Province with Riyadh, where more than 40% of the country’s population and economic activities are located. A passenger line connects Riyadh with Dammam through Alhassa and Abqaiq.

6th April 2021
Trend in Eurasia’s Seaborne Trade and Vessel Capacity Between 2013 and 2021

Trend in Eurasia’s Seaborne Trade and Vessel Capacity Between 2013 and 2021

International trade between countries and across regions has existed for centuries. Moreover, international trade saw a significant increase in its growth from 1950 to 2000, with trade volume growing at an average rate of 6% per year. The concept of trade comprises both exporting and importing, and the growth of international trade is influenced by various factors, with economic growth playing a significant role, as has been the subject of much scholarly research.

9th January 2024
Powering the Future of Aviation: Exploring the Role of Hydrogen and Power-to- Liquid in Sustainable Aviation Fuels

Powering the Future of Aviation: Exploring the Role of Hydrogen and Power-to- Liquid in Sustainable Aviation Fuels

The decarbonization of long-distance transportation, especially in aviation, is a significant challenge. While progress has been made in decarbonizing urban transportation, achieving electrification in long-distance transport remains difficult. Sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) offer a promising solution for reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the aviation industry. SAFs, which can be derived from organic materials or produced synthetically from CO2 and hydrogen, have the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by 80% (Airbus 2023). The aviation industry aims to produce enough SAFs to meet aviation fuel demand by 2050, with power-to-liquid (PtL) technology emerging as an alternative pathway for SAF production. This paper provides insights into the application and deployment of this technology. The ideal PtL process involves the utilization of renewable electricity, hydrogen sourced from renewables, and captured carbon to produce synthetic fuels. The estimated demand for hydrogen in PtL-based SAF production varies depending on the scenario, ranging from approximately 94.3 million to 224.5 million metric tons by 2050. Hydrogen plays a critical role in enabling large-scale SAF production and achieving decarbonization goals in the aviation industry. Continued investments in renewable energy (RE) and technological advancements are necessary to unlock the full potential of PtL and hydrogen in SAF production.

30th November 2023
The Implementation of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation and Its Challenges for Aviation

The Implementation of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation and Its Challenges for Aviation

The aviation sector is a fast-growing industry that contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. To address this issue, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) set aspirational emissions goals and introduced the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). CORSIA aims to cap carbon emissions from international flights by 2020 through the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) and other measures. The eligibility criteria for SAFs include a 10% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuels and compliance with sustainability criteria. However, challenges remain, such as the limited production capacity and higher cost of SAFs. CORSIA’s implementation is voluntary for participating states in the first phase but will become mandatory in the second phase. Increasing participation, ensuring the integrity of offset credits, and addressing technological and documentation challenges are essential for the successful implementation of CORSIA and the decarbonization of the aviation sector.

14th September 2023
Future Fuel Demand From the Saudi Shipping Sector: A Business-as-Usual Estimation

Future Fuel Demand From the Saudi Shipping Sector: A Business-as-Usual Estimation

The purpose of this commentary is to suggest a rough estimation of future exports and corresponding fuel consumption of the Saudi shipping sector up to 2040. For estimation purposes, we use two assumptions: A global average energy intensity of 0.078 megajoules per tonne-kilometers (MJ/tonne-km). An average export distance of 5,441 nautical miles (nm) between Saudi Arabia and export trading partner countries.

21st August 2023
Will King Salman International Airport Be One of the Largest Airports in the World?

Will King Salman International Airport Be One of the Largest Airports in the World?

King Salman International Airport (KSIA), with a projected capacity of up to 185 million passengers and 3.5 million tonnes of freight by 2050, is crucial for Saudi Vision 2030. Developing tourism and industrial areas will be vital for its success. In April 2016, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman launched Saudi Vision 2030, which is a comprehensive strategy for the economic and social development of Saudi Arabia. Its objectives include diversifying the Saudi economy, boosting tourism, increasing trade, generating new jobs and economic opportunities, and reducing the country’s dependence on oil exports.

15th June 2023
Key Improvements in the Saudi Aviation Sector: Exploring the Performance of the Passenger Load Factor

Key Improvements in the Saudi Aviation Sector: Exploring the Performance of the Passenger Load Factor

Aviation is a significant contributor to the global economy, given that it, directly and indirectly, contributes to jobs, tourism, trade, and countries’ gross domestic product (GDP). However, environmental issues, technological advances, consumer behavior, energy consumption, the volume of passenger and cargo air traffic, and the liberalization of markets have challenged this sector’s ability to continue as a catalyst for future economic development.

5th March 2023

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