SGI Initiatives

The Initiative

Enhance Saudi Arabia’s Energy Efficiency Program (SEEP)

Implementing new energy efficiency standards across power generation, water desalination, and electricity transmission and distribution

Project Completion year

2025

The Initiative

Use captured carbon to produce chemicals and synthetic fuels

Harnessing novel technologies to convert captured CO₂ into 12 tons per day of small-scale green methanol

Project Completion year

2030

The Initiative

Transforming Saudi’s domestic energy mix

Increase the capacity share of renewable energy for electricity generation in the Kingdom’s energy mix up to 50% and displace more than 1 million barrels of liquid fuels daily across three main sectors —power plants, industrial, and agriculture.

Project Completion year

2030

The Initiative

Become the world’s leading hydrogen producer and exporter

Capture more than 27 million tons of CO₂e by producing four million tons of clean hydrogen per year.

Project Completion year

2030

The Initiative

Waste management transformation in Riyadh

Divert 94% of waste generated in Riyadh away from landfills and compost more than 1.3 million tons of biodegradable waste. This will result in a reduction of 4.1 mtpa of CO₂e emissions and create a proven waste management model that will be implemented across the Kingdom.

Project Completion year

2035

The Initiative

10 billion trees study

Outcomes of the extensive study and planning exercise will ensure that the 10 billion trees are sustainably planted and will thrive in Saudi Arabia’s diverse landscapes.

Project Completion year

2022

The Initiative

Mangrove Plantation Pilot at Jeddah Islamic Port

Planting mangroves to contribute to cleaning seawater, enriching marine biodiversity and restoring aquatic life.

Project Completion year

2023

The Initiative

Ecological Restoration Pilot in Shaaran Nature Reserve

Restore 100 hectares of land. This will be used to test several approaches to ecological rehabilitation in arid environments.

Project Completion year

2030

The Initiative

Green Mosques

Plant 30,000 trees across 100 mosques, irrigated with water recycled from ablution.

Project Completion year

2023

The Initiative

Plant 45 million agricultural trees in mountain terraces

Increase economic return from agriculture by 30%, implement rainwater harvesting to irrigate crops, and create 5,000 job opportunities.

Project Completion year

2025

The Initiative

Plant 4 million lemon trees with treated wastewater

Contribute to fruit self-sufficiency by up to 45% and improve KSA’s GFSI ranking

Project Completion year

2025

The Initiative

Establish King Salman Park, one of the largest urban park projects in the world

Create a 16.6 km² park with more than 11 km² of green space and more than 1 million trees.

Project Completion year

TBA

The Initiative

Sports Boulevard Greening Initiative

Plant more than 150,000 trees in Riyadh and increase total park and green space area by 4.5 million m².

Project Completion year

TBA

The Initiative

SABIC afforestation initiative

Plant 5 million trees in three national parks (Saad National Park, Al-Zulfi National Park, and Suwaidrah National Park).

Project Completion year

2027

The Initiative

Complete the Green Riyadh project

Increase green spaces in the city from 1.5% to 9%. Plant 7.5 million trees.

Project Completion year

2030

The Initiative

Plant 100 million mangrove trees

Offset 96 million tons of CO₂e, stabilize coastline ecosystems and prevent erosion.

Project Completion year

2030

The Initiative

Conserve and restore vegetation cover in Saudi’s rangelands

Conserve 8 million hectares of rangelands across 26 sites, reduce the impact of sandstorms and improve public health, while helping restore the indigenous flora and fauna.

Project Completion year

2030

The Initiative

Plant 2 million trees around highways and institutions

Enhance vegetation cover and protect roads from sand encroachment, reducing the costs of maintaining highways.

Project Completion year

2030

The Initiative

Contribution to nationwide ‘Let’s Make it Green’ campaign

Plant 6 million trees across an area of approximately 110,000 km². These will be irrigated using treated greywater.

Project Completion year

2030

The Initiative

Develop vegetation cover, wildlife and infrastructure for 50 national parks

Establish new national parks and rehabilitate existing ones. Plant 10 million trees across the national parks.

Project Completion year

2030

The Initiative

Sustainable forest management and development

Plant 60 million trees and rehabilitate 348,000 hectares of forest areas. This will reduce carbon emissions by 24 metric tons.

Project Completion year

2030

The Initiative

Increase highway vegetation

Plant 30 million trees over a network of 16,000 km of highway, reducing the impact of carbon emissions from vehicles and producing savings of SAR 845 million by 2030.

Project Completion year

2030

The Initiative

SWCC afforestation initiative

Plant 5 million trees across SWCC plants and residential areas, reducing carbon emissions by 2 metric tons.

Project Completion year

2030

The Initiative

Plant 7 million terrestrial trees within Royal Sanctuaries

Reduce carbon emissions by 2.8 metric tons, helping to combat desertification, support biodiversity, and improve quality of life.

Project Completion year

2030

The Initiative

Private sector participation in vegetation cover development and combating desertification

Plant 40 million trees, reducing CO₂e emissions by 16 metric tons, and helping to preserve endangered local species’ ecosystems.

Project Completion year

2030

The Initiative

Public sector participation in vegetation cover development and combating desertification

Plant 18 million trees, reducing CO₂e emissions by 7.2 metric tons while preserving endangered local species’ ecosystems

Project Completion year

2030

The Initiative

Improving the forest cover of the Soudah area

Plant 1 million trees to sequester 25,000 tons of CO₂e emissions by 2031.

Project Completion year

2031

The Initiative

Green Qibla

Plant 15 million trees in Mecca through community engagement and technology. Pilgrims and Umrah performers can participate, enriching their spiritual journey.

Project Completion year

2036

The Initiative

Establish and sustainably manage nature reserves

Form the AlUla Protected Areas Network, 15,000 km2 of protected areas that will help conserve biodiversity in collaboration with IUCN.

Project Completion year

2023

The Initiative

Desert Preservation Initiative

Preserve 38 million m2 of the al Nafud desert, enable the release of 100 indigenous animals and establish a pilot project for sustainable farming.

Project Completion year

2025

The Initiative

Expansion of protected areas with integrated management: Phase 1

Conserve over 107,000 km2 of KSA’s terrestrial land to protect areas of particular ecosystem preservation importance and enrich national biodiversity and advance IUCN/CBD biodiversity protection goals

Project Completion year

2025

The Initiative

Designate 10 biodiversity protection areas

Preserve over 500 species of plants and animals, including at least 55 species endemic to the Arabian Peninsula, across an area totaling 977 km².

Project Completion year

2025

The Initiative

Reforestation support initiative

Plant 50,000 trees in Thadiq National Park and invest SAR 2 million in the Thadiq Conservation Initiative to combat desertification.

Project Completion year

2025

The Initiative

Establish a plant nursery and seed bank

Cultivate 56 native plant species with a production capacity of 600,000 seedlings per year.

Project Completion year

2021

The Initiative

Develop a circular carbon economy and resiliency approach in AlUla

Create an approach that will aim to reduce 500,000 tons of CO₂e emissions and reduce energy consumption by 10%.

Project Completion year

2022

The Initiative

Khaybar sites - habitat assessment and geopark management plan

Harrat Khaybar, one of Saudi Arabia’s largest volcanic fields, will be home to wildlife conservation, nature-based tourism, and nominated as a UNESCO site.

Project Completion year

2022

The Initiative

Establish the National Green Services Company (NGS Co)

This will invest in green businesses that reduce CO₂e emissions through nature-based solutions, with a main focus on forestation.

Project Completion year

2022

The Initiative

Wadi Ashar environmental assessment and study

Produce recommendations on the optima approach to environmental management and maintaining Wadi Ashar’s ecosystems.

Project Completion year

2022

The Initiative

Inventory of AlUla’s flora and fauna

Identify key and rare species and habitats in AlUla, contributing to biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of nature resources.

Project Completion year

2023

The Initiative

Investigate dieback of Acacia trees

Study and formulate solutions to the threats posed to Acacia woodlands, including management of mistletoe and insect-related diebacks.

Project Completion year

2023

The Initiative

National Program for Loss and Waste Reduction

Reduce the amount of food wastage by 50% by 2030, compared to 2019 levels

Project Completion year

2030

The Initiative

STC Solar Pilot Project

Install solar power capacity across STC’s infrastructure, providing a pilot for future energy models and reducing 191,000 tons of CO₂e.

Project Completion year

2024

The Initiative

Reef revival initiative

Promoted conservation and reduce coral reef habitat damage using techniques such as transplantation.

Project Completion year

2024

The Initiative

Environmental Compliance Enhancement

Improve regulation and control over waste management, oil spills, chemicals, air quality and more, including an integrated inspection system and the automation of environmental licensing processes.

Project Completion year

2024

The Initiative

Build a sustainable and advanced waste management sector in Saudi Arabia

Develop a comprehensive national waste management master plan, pioneering circular economy practices.

Project Completion year

2025

The Initiative

Sustainable management and conservation of coastal area environments

Develop a national strategy for the sustainable use of coastal and marine areas, aiming to conserve marine biodiversity and reduce damage to coral reef coral reef habitats.

Project Completion year

2025

The Initiative

Turtle nesting conservation at Ras Baridi

Inaugurate a turtle nesting conservation program, increase turtle nesting rates by 20% by 2023 and increase hatchling survival rates to 30% by 2025.

Project Completion year

2025

The Initiative

Establish ZLD desalination plant in Jubail with a capacity of 2 million tonnes per year

Reduce discharge of saline brine to the sea by 85%.

Project Completion year

2026

The Initiative

Breed endangered wildlife species

Restore and rewild endangered endemic species in 10-15 locations per year.

Project Completion year

2026

The Initiative

Determine AlUla rangeland carrying capacity

Estimate rangeland carrying capacity and viable wildlife population size within the nature reserves of AlUla.

Project Completion year

2026

The Initiative

Implement National Environmental Awareness Plan

Promote environmental awareness to the broader population of Saudi Arabia, enhancing whole-of-society action and environmental protection.

Project Completion year

2030

The Initiative

Riyadh Sustainability Strategy

Grow Riyadh’s GDP by up to 5% through a variety of activities such as increasing energy use from renewable sources to 50%, and recycling and reusing 100% of wastewater.ll These activities will contribute to creating up to 350,000 jobs.

Project Completion year

2030

The Initiative

Running AlUla on 100% renewables from solar PV plant and battery farm

The finished plant will have a capacity of 1 GW. The aim is to reduce 2.5 Mtpa of CO₂e emissions and increase local reliance on renewable energy.

Project Completion year

2035

The Initiative

100 million trees by 2030

Plant 100 million native trees, including 7 million trees in national parks and forests to offset approximately 45 million tons of CO² emissions by 2030 while combating desertification and enhancing native. biodiversity.

Project Completion year

2030

The Initiative

Cleaning plastic from oceans

Participate in Alliance to end Plastic Waste (AEPW) to clean plastic from the oceans. The initiative will support accelerating  the improvement of the current waste management systems in developed regions.

Project Completion year

2025

The Initiative

Sports for Climate Action

The Saudi Olympic & Paralympic committee is an official signatory of the Sports for Climate Action Framework, set to launch a number of initiatives aligned with the Kingdom’s climate ambitions.

Project Completion year

TBA

The Initiative

Ecological Restoration

Combine high-level scientific research and scale up on field and pedagogical actions for students, visitors, and professionals to restore vegetation cover and enhance ecosystem services.

Project Completion year

2024

The Initiative

Ocean and Sea Exploration Foundation

Establish a leading not-for-profit foundation dedicated to the pursuit of ocean and sea exploration that aims to benefit humanity by discovering unique marine life and minerals

Project Completion year

2022

The Initiative

The Sustainability Tourism Global Center

Spearhead, expedite, and monitor the tourism sector's transition to net-zero emissions, as well as drive action to preserve the environment and assist local communities

Project Completion year

2024

The Initiative

Green Saudi Cities

Plant up to 32 million trees in public parks and gardens in three phases and undertake new greening projects in Riyadh equivalent to an area of 437.5 km²

Project Completion year

2031

The Initiative

Municipal Cemeteries Arboriculture

Enhance greening in 441 cemeteries by planting up to 1.05 million trees and 4.18 million shrubs: equivalent to an area of 130 km²

Project Completion year

2027

The Initiative

Humanizing Cities

Plant 2.5 million trees in 267 parks and green spaces spanning over 5 km² to elevate quality of life in residential areas

Project Completion year

2024

The Initiative

Volunteering and community participation

Engage volunteers in tree planting campaigns to increase green areas in cities by planting 1.05 million trees by 2025

Project Completion year

2025

The Initiative

Cooperative tree plantation

Enable non-profit sector to actively contribute to the Saudi Green Initiative by planting 10 million trees.

Project Completion year

2027

The Initiative

Imam Turki Bin Abdullah afforestation campaign

Undertake afforestation efforts in Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Royal Nature Reserve by planting 600 thousand trees by 2023

Project Completion year

2023

The Initiative

Increasing the utilization of dam water for agricultural purpose

Utilize 80 million m³ of treated dam water for agricultural purposes, contributing to the 2030 water reuse rate by 8%.

Project Completion year

2025

The Initiative

Maximizing renewable water usage in the agricultural sector

Construct nine pumping stations with their respective irrigation networks and transmission lines across four regions of Riyadh, Najran, Qassim, and Medina to generate treated water for agricultural purposes, as well as nine laboratories to ensure quality control of the treated water.

Project Completion year

2025

The Initiative

Utilization of newly added agricultural state lands

Develop the required policies and legal framework that enable farmers to purchase agricultural lands in the Kingdom

Project Completion year

2030

The Initiative

Establish a large no-take marine protected area

Establish a 6,693 km² no-take marine protected area throughout the proposed Red Sea Project (TRSP) and AMAALA Special Economic Zones to protect and recover key protected species (e.g., sea turtles, dugongs, etc.) and reduce coral reef habitat damage.

Project Completion year

2030

The Initiative

Pilot carbon sequestration using algae

Develop marine micro- and/or macro-algae production farms and photo bioreactors to sequester over 2 million metric tons of CO2e per year.

Project Completion year

2040

The Initiative

Increase biodiversity by 30% across The Red Sea Project (TRSP) and AMAALA Special Economic Zones

Enhance biological diversity across the TRSP and AMAALA Special Economic Zones by 30% by 2040 through the enhancement of coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass, and native vegetation, as well as re-wilding of flora and fauna

Project Completion year

2040

The Initiative

Establish an Integrated Interdisciplinary Ecosystem Observing Network

Establish and sustain an Integrated Interdisciplinary Ecosystem Observing Network (IIEON), to provide continuous long-term assessment and monitoring information about the spatial patterns and temporal trends of the marine and terrestrial wildlife and ecosystems of TRSP and AMAALA Special Economic Zones.

Project Completion year

2040

The Initiative

High resolution habitat and biodiversity maps

Conduct high resolution aerial and drone mapping of terrestrial and shallow marine areas and develop a suite of GIS map layers of marine and terrestrial habitats across the TRSP and AMAALA Special Economic Zones.

Project Completion year

2026