Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia operated five new solar energy projects in 2024 with a combined capacity of 3,751 megawatts, bringing the total number of operational renewable energy projects in the Kingdom to 10, according to the General Authority for Statistics’ Renewable Energy Statistics Bulletin 2024 released on Monday.

The cumulative projects include nine solar energy plants with a total capacity of 6,151 megawatts and one wind energy project with a capacity of 400 megawatts.

The report revealed that total investments in these projects reached SR19.839 billion by the end of 2024, with SR18.264 billion allocated to solar energy projects and SR1.575 billion to wind energy.

The projects are expected to supply electricity to approximately 1,140,800 residential units across the Kingdom.

Among the findings, the Shuaibah 1 solar project registered the lowest energy purchase cost in Saudi Arabia at 3.9 halalas per kilowatt-hour, compared to other renewable projects where the cost ranged from 3.9 to 11.18 halalas per kilowatt-hour.

The bulletin, based on data from the Ministry of Energy, includes time-series statistics on renewable energy developments in the Kingdom from 2019 to 2024.