Refining Saudi Arabia's future
Saudi Arabia is taking the opportunity of collective oil-production cuts to focus on downstream ventures
Sometimes it's the brief, unscripted remark that can shed light on society more than a formal announcement. "We need to develop a savings culture," the head of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (Sama), Ahmed Alkholifey, told an interviewer on stage at the Euromoney conference in Riyadh in May. He was discussing how Saudis would need to adapt to more frugal lifestyles, consuming less fuel, water and electricity, to achieve its Vision 2030. "The savings rate in the kingdom is very low," the head of the Saudi central bank continued. "We are working with the ministries of education and energy to encourage a culture of savings." The question of whether to save has also become the subject of some
Also in this section
20 February 2026
The country is pushing to increase production and expand key projects despite challenges including OPEC+ discipline and the limitations of its export infrastructure
20 February 2026
Europe has transformed into a global LNG demand powerhouse over the last few years, with the fuel continuing to play a key role in safeguarding the continent’s energy security, Carsten Poppinga, chief commercial officer at Uniper, tells Petroleum Economist
20 February 2026
Sempra Infrastructure’s vice president for marketing and commercial development, Carlos de la Vega, outlines progress across the company’s US Gulf Coast and Mexico Pacific Coast LNG portfolio, including construction at Port Arthur LNG, continued strong performance at Cameron LNG and development of ECA LNG
19 February 2026
US LNG exporter Cheniere Energy has grown its business rapidly since exporting its first cargo a decade ago. But Chief Commercial Officer Anatol Feygin tells Petroleum Economist that, as in the past, the company’s future expansion plans are anchored by high levels of contracted offtake, supporting predictable returns on investment
