312 M. LUOMI
from the Ministry of Energy. An environment ministry, the Ministry of
Environment, Water and Agriculture, was only established in 2016.
Further institutional landscape characteristics can be identified via a
comparison to the UAE where the governance of energy is highly fragmented: management of the export-oriented oil and gas sector (under the
national oil companies and Abu Dhabi’s Supreme Petroleum Council)
is separated from the domestic policy and management of renewables
(emirate-level energy authorities and utility companies), nuclear energy
(Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation, Emirates Nuclear Energy
Corporation and Abu Dhabi government) and energy supply (Ministry
of Energy and Industry and emirate-level authorities).
In Saudi Arabia, in a move that some perceive as potentially beneficial
for renewable energy deployment, energy sector governance has been in
recent years increasingly consolidated under the Ministry of Energy. The
ministry is in charge for both fossil fuel and renewable energy policy, as
well as electricity. A Renewable Energy Project Development Office at
the Ministry of Energy has been tasked with the implementation of the
2023 renewable energy target. It has oversight of 30% of the country’s
renewable energy target via auctions, while the remaining 70% falls under
the Public Investment Fund via direct negotiations with developers. A
multi-sectoral Supreme Committee for Energy Mix Affairs for Electricity
Production and Enabling Renewable Energy chaired by Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman was formed in April 2020 to support coordination and promote implementation of the target. 36 The King Abdullah
City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KA-CARE) leads on nuclear
energy regulation. The SEEC has a mandate to develop energy efficiency policies and regulations, and a separate regulatory authority, the
Electricity and Cogeneration Regulatory Authority, sets non-residential
electricity tariffs. 37
Similar to the UAE, Saudi Arabia does not have a culture of environmental activism or broader civil society activism. A 2017 expert workshop
described environmental issues as mainly featuring in Saudi elite discussions, with low interest among other parts of society. There is a limited
number of environmental NGOs and, according to the experts, ‘academia
and think tanks play no relevant role’ in the areas of environmental and
natural resource conservation. 38
from the Ministry of Energy. An environment ministry, the Ministry of
Environment, Water and Agriculture, was only established in 2016.
Further institutional landscape characteristics can be identified via a
comparison to the UAE where the governance of energy is highly fragmented: management of the export-oriented oil and gas sector (under the
national oil companies and Abu Dhabi’s Supreme Petroleum Council)
is separated from the domestic policy and management of renewables
(emirate-level energy authorities and utility companies), nuclear energy
(Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation, Emirates Nuclear Energy
Corporation and Abu Dhabi government) and energy supply (Ministry
of Energy and Industry and emirate-level authorities).
In Saudi Arabia, in a move that some perceive as potentially beneficial
for renewable energy deployment, energy sector governance has been in
recent years increasingly consolidated under the Ministry of Energy. The
ministry is in charge for both fossil fuel and renewable energy policy, as
well as electricity. A Renewable Energy Project Development Office at
the Ministry of Energy has been tasked with the implementation of the
2023 renewable energy target. It has oversight of 30% of the country’s
renewable energy target via auctions, while the remaining 70% falls under
the Public Investment Fund via direct negotiations with developers. A
multi-sectoral Supreme Committee for Energy Mix Affairs for Electricity
Production and Enabling Renewable Energy chaired by Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman was formed in April 2020 to support coordination and promote implementation of the target. 36 The King Abdullah
City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KA-CARE) leads on nuclear
energy regulation. The SEEC has a mandate to develop energy efficiency policies and regulations, and a separate regulatory authority, the
Electricity and Cogeneration Regulatory Authority, sets non-residential
electricity tariffs. 37
Similar to the UAE, Saudi Arabia does not have a culture of environmental activism or broader civil society activism. A 2017 expert workshop
described environmental issues as mainly featuring in Saudi elite discussions, with low interest among other parts of society. There is a limited
number of environmental NGOs and, according to the experts, ‘academia
and think tanks play no relevant role’ in the areas of environmental and
natural resource conservation. 38