Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia progress on clean electricity transition has been near-zero
Saudi Arabia relies almost entirely on gas and oil for its electricity. In 2021, the shares of gas and oil in the country’s power mix were 61% and 39% respectively. Wind and solar had a near-zero share of power production.
Saudi Arabia is the only country among the G20 that relies almost entirely on fossil fuels for its electricity, with no progress in the last decade. This puts it ahead of even South Africa (86%) and well ahead of the global average (62%) for fossil generation share.
As per the IEA, to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C, Saudi Arabia should fully decarbonise electricity by 2035 and become net zero by 2050. In October 2021, Saudi Arabia pledged to become net zero by 2060—but without an oil exit plan—and to source 50% of its power from renewables by 2030.
Last updated: March 2022
Progress towards 1.5C power sector benchmarks
Saudi Arabia
2000–2040
Data
