Riyadh –Mubasher: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia aims to double natural gas supplies during the coming decade to raise the level of natural gas utilisation at its public facilities to 70%, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported, citing the Saudi minister of energy, industry and mineral resources, Khalid Al Falih.

This percentage will be the highest among countries in the G20, Al Falih stated during The Eighth International Forum on Energy for Sustainable Development held in Kazakhstan.

Al Falih said that the kingdom seeks to produce 10 gigawatts of electricity using renewable energy, which will represent 10% of the produced electric power in the coming six years

The minister said that the plan to achieve this goal will include the development of 30 solar and wind powered projects, with investments worth between $30 billion and $50 billion.

Al Falih explained that the kingdom's strategy for renewable energy includes joint research with automotive manufacturers to develop future high performance fuel systems and clean systems, as well as other sub-strategies for carbon management, including the collection, storage, and use.

Globally, he said that oil will remain the main gauge of global energy markets and the Kingdom will remain a major player in this sector and will continue to invest in hydrocarbons even as its economy develops and diversifies.