Saudi Arabia is rewriting its energy model. With multi-billion-dollar investments and a long-term industrial vision, the Kingdom is pushing to transform itself from the world’s oil capital into a global clean energy hub. The commitment is formalized under the ambitious Vision 2030 framework, which sets a carbon neutrality target by 2060 and identifies green hydrogen, large-scale renewables, and carbon capture technologies as the pillars of the new industrial strategy.
Billions at Stake, Record-Breaking Projects
The most emblematic symbol of this transition is the NEOM Green Hydrogen Project, an $8.4 billion investment that has now surpassed 80% completion and is on track to become the world’s largest integrated green hydrogen and ammonia facility. Once operational, it will harness approximately 1.6 GW of wind and 2.2 GW of solar power to produce up to 1.2 million tonnes of green ammonia annually for export markets.
This flagship project is supported by a wide national programme. Saudi Arabia’s National Renewable Energy Programme (NREP) has already tendered a cumulative 64 GW of renewable capacity, with 12.3 GW connected to the national grid by end-2025. In 2025 alone, the Kingdom committed approximately $34 billion to clean power, a nearly 70% increase year-on-year, entering the global top ten clean energy investors for the first time.
With $34 billion committed to clean energy in 2025 alone and 64 GW of renewable capacity tendered under the NREP programme, Saudi Arabia is boldly redefining its energy ambitions. By the end of 2025, 12.3 GW were already connected to the national grid, a concrete signal that these targets are more than words on paper. The goal of reaching 50% renewables in the energy mix by 2030, combined with over 80% completion of the NEOM Green Hydrogen Project, confirms the truly transformative scale of this transition.
The Oil Paradox
There is a strategic logic to this green push that goes beyond environmental goals. Saudi Arabia holds the world’s second-largest proven oil reserves and reducing domestic energy consumption frees up a larger share of production for international markets. The energy transition is as much about economic pragmatism as it is about climate ambition. This paradox is the main point: the world’s most powerful oil state is also becoming one of its most active clean energy investors.
European Engineering Expertise in the Saudi Market
The Kingdom’s Giga-projects demand engineering expertise at the highest level and this is where European excellence enters the picture. Several Italian companies are already operational at NEOM, Trojena, and AlUla, tackling logistical and environmental challenges of extraordinary complexity. The collaboration model has evolved well beyond simple equipment supply: today it centres on the co-design of integrated systems and the structured transfer of know-how to the local workforce.
For international companies, success in this market increasingly depends on solid institutional relationships and operational roots on the ground. Haris Group positions itself as a strategic anchor in the Saudi market, bridging the gap between foreign innovation and the Kingdom’s regulatory and project requirements ensuring that technological solutions are deployed within the tight timelines of Vision 2030.
