The Ministry of Energy () is a

government ministry Ministry or department (also less commonly used secretariat, office, or directorate) are designations used by first-level executive bodies in the machinery of governments that manage a specific sector of public administration." Энцикло� ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

and part of the cabinet. It is responsible for developing and implementing policies concerning

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...

and related products. The Ministry of Energy is working to diversify the national energy mix used in

electricity production Electricity generation is the process of generating electric power from sources of primary energy. For utilities in the electric power industry, it is the stage prior to its delivery (transmission, distribution, etc.) to end users or its storag ...

, increasing the share of

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...

and

renewable energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...

sources to approximately 50% by

2030 The 2030s (pronounced "twenty-thirties"; shortened to the '30s) is the next decade in the Gregorian calendar that will begin on 1 January 2030, and will end on 31 December 2039. Plans and goals * NASA plans to execute a crewed mission to Mars be ...

while reducing the use of

liquid fuel Liquid fuels are combustible or energy-generating molecules that can be harnessed to create mechanical energy, usually producing kinetic energy; they also must take the shape of their container. It is the fumes of liquid fuels that are flammable ...

. In August 2019,

King Salman Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, سلمان بن عبد العزیز آل سعود, , ; born 31 December 1935) is King of Saudi Arabia, reigning since 2015, and served as Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2022. The 25th son of King ...

issued a royal decree and divided the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources into two: Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, and Ministry of Energy. While

Khalid al-Falih Khalid A. Al-Falih ( ar, خالد الفالح '; born 1960) is Minister of Investment of Saudi Arabia since 25 February 2020. He served as Minister of Energy of Saudi Arabia and chairman of Saudi Aramco. He also has previously served as the S ...

still remained the energy minister, business executive Bandar Al-Khorayef was named as the minister of natural resources. However, on 8 September 2019, a royal decree was issued to appoint

Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud ( ar, عبد العزيز بن سلمان آل سعود ''ʿAbd al ʿAzīz bin Salman Al Suʿūd''; born 1960) is a Saudi royal and politician who has served as the Saudi Arabian minister of energy since September 2 ...

as the energy minister.

History

The ministry was established in December 1960. Prior to the formation of the ministry policies regarding oil production and planning were overseen by the directorate general of petroleum and mineral affairs which was attached to the ministry of finance. Then the directorate was converted into the ministry. The ministry was named the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources until May 2016 when it was renamed as the Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources. In August 2019, the Ministry was separated into the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources.

List of ministers

Since 1960 the ministry was headed by the following six ministers: #

Abdullah Tariki Abdullah Tariki (19 March 1919–7 September 1997) (Arabic: عبدالله الطريقي), also known as Red Sheikh, was a Saudi politician and government official. He was the first Saudi oil minister appointed by King Saud, and co-founder of Or ...

(December 1960 – 9 March 1962) #

Ahmed Zaki Yamani Ahmed Zaki Yamani ( ar, أحمد زكي يماني; 30 June 1930 – 23 February 2021) was a Saudi Arabian politician who served as Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources from 1962 to 1986, and a minister in the Organization of the Petrole ...

(9 March 1962 – 5 October 1986) #

Hisham Nazer Hisham Nazer (31 August 1932 – 14 November 2015) was the third oil minister of Saudi Arabia after Abdullah Tariki and Ahmed Zaki Yamani, Zaki Yamani which he was named on 24 December 1986. He was also the first Saudi board chairman of Aramco, w ...

(24 December 1986 – 2 August 1995) # Ali Naimi (2 August 1995 – 7 May 2016) #

Khalid A. Al-Falih Khalid A. Al-Falih ( ar, خالد الفالح '; born 1960) is Minister of Investment of Saudi Arabia since 25 February 2020. He served as Minister of Energy of Saudi Arabia and chairman of Saudi Aramco. He also has previously served as the ...

(7 May 2016 – 8 September 2019) #

(8 September 2019 – present)

Organization and activities

The ministry is primarily responsible for the policies concerning oil and gas in the country which is the world's largest holder of crude oil reserves. One of the agencies with which the ministry works is

Petromin The Petromin Corporation is a Saudi Arabian lubricants and automotive services company, operating in lubricant oils including manufacturer, industrial, and automotive oils and lubricants, car servicing (Petromin Express), fuel retailing and car d ...

, the general petroleum and mineral organization. Through Saudi Arabian Basic Industries Company (SABIC), established in 1976, the ministry oversaw the operation of

petrochemicals Petrochemicals (sometimes abbreviated as petchems) are the chemical products obtained from petroleum by refining. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable sou ...

and other

heavy industry Heavy industry is an industry that involves one or more characteristics such as large and heavy products; large and heavy equipment and facilities (such as heavy equipment, large machine tools, huge buildings and large-scale infrastructure); o ...

projects. In 2019, the Minister inaugurated the launching ceremony of the Saudi scientific vessel, called “Najil” in

Jubail Jubail ( ar, الجبيل, ''Al Jubayl'') is a city in the Eastern province on the Persian Gulf coast of Saudi Arabia, with a total population of 684,531 as of 2021. It is home to the largest industrial city in the world. It is also home to th ...

port, Eastern Province. The main aim of the vessel is to conduct marine-related researches in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

and the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...

br>
In 2019, and on the sidelines of the Saudi crown prince’s visit to India, the Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources signed a MOU to partner with the

International Solar Alliance The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is an alliance of 123 signatory countries, most being sunshine countries, which lie either completely or partly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. The primary objective of the allia ...

(ISA) and projects in fertilizers, pharmaceuticals and medical supplies.

References

{{Authority control

Energy In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of heat a ...

1960 establishments in Saudi Arabia Economy of Saudi Arabia Saudi Aramco