logo
Energy Fund to Boost Saudi-US Strategic Investments

Energy Fund to Boost Saudi-US Strategic Investments

Asharq Al-Awsat15-05-2025
A $5 billion energy investment fund was unveiled in Riyadh on Tuesday during the Saudi-US Investment Forum, held in conjunction with US President Donald Trump's visit to the kingdom, in a move aimed at boosting bilateral partnerships and stabilizing the global energy sector.
The White House announced in a statement that the fund was among several key initiatives agreed during Trump's visit, calling it a 'historic step' toward deepening economic cooperation between the United States and Saudi Arabia.
Scott Pruitt, who served as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), told Asharq Al-Awsat the fund will target strategic investments in the energy sector, focusing primarily on US-based companies.
These include firms supporting existing energy hubs and those developing transitional technologies to advance the global energy future and promote efficient manufacturing.
Pruitt said the fund aligns with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, aiming to invest in companies that can benefit from the kingdom's business environment while also supporting energy-related infrastructure, services, and manufacturing in the US.
The fund is expected to begin deploying its $5 billion capital in 2025, he added.
Strategic Investment in Energy
Neil Bush, chairman of Skytower Investments, a green technology investment firm, said the energy fund brings together experienced partners in fund management and energy investment.
He noted that it will play a critical role in directing strategic capital toward the future of global energy and efficient production.
The fund naturally targets the development of US infrastructure, bolstering America's leadership in global energy markets and delivering strong returns to investors, Bush said.
Launched during President Trump's visit, this initiative sends a strong signal of renewed economic momentum between Washington and Riyadh.
Saudi businessman Abdullah Al-Meleihi, CEO of Saudi Excellence Co., described the fund as more than a capital mechanism, calling it a 'bridge of trust and ambition' between the two countries.
He emphasized Trump's role in creating a climate conducive to innovation and opportunity.
Al-Meleihi said the fund is expected to be fully established and financed in 2025, characterizing it as a model of public-private cooperation and strategic alignment between the US and Saudi Arabia.
He noted that it enjoys robust support from the private sector in both countries as well as international investors, and will focus on energy, technology, artificial intelligence in energy, and advanced industries, while also facilitating knowledge transfer to the kingdom and capital investment in the US.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Factions pour fuel on the fire of regional maps
Factions pour fuel on the fire of regional maps

Arab News

time13 minutes ago

  • Arab News

Factions pour fuel on the fire of regional maps

Can a country, no matter how large, contain two armies, two authorities and two 'states?' Is obligatory coexistence just a form of truce until one army succeeds in defeating the other? Is a clash between the two armies, two authorities and two states inevitable because the factions are impeding countries from heading toward a time of stability and investment? Have the countries grown weary of factions and decided to return to a time of normal states after paying a heavy price during the time of militias? The time of the factions did not succeed in deterring the savagery of Benjamin Netanyahu's army. It all began during a meeting at a Beirut apartment between Iranian and Lebanese activists in the wake of the success of Ayatollah Khomeini's revolution. The focus was on how to fortify the regime of the revolution against potential dangers. The gatherers believed that the ouster of Mohammed Mosaddegh's government in 1953 was a strong example of why regular armies should not be trusted. They believed that such armies tended to pounce whenever they sensed an impending revolution or whiff of change. They also believed that armies were a possible source of danger because they could be infiltrated by Western intelligence services. The gatherers were therefore in agreement on the need to come up with a force that would prevent a segment of the Iranian army from rising up against the Khomeinist revolution. Anis Al-Naqqash claimed that he was the first to propose the idea of forming the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Iranian model would be replicated in other countries in the region as part of the 'Axis of Resistance' project. Following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, and with then-Syrian President Hafez Assad's approval, Khomeini formed Hezbollah in Lebanon as the first tangible implementation of Iran's policy of 'exporting the revolution' that is enshrined in its constitution. Iran would go on to transform southern Lebanon into an Iranian-Israeli front, when it had previously served as a Palestinian-Israeli one. As it clashed with Israel over the years, Hezbollah gained a halo of sorts, transforming into its own army and statelet. Despite Lebanon's diverse composition, Hezbollah became the country's sole decision-maker that had the final say over presidents and governments. Khomeini formed Hezbollah in Lebanon as the first tangible implementation of Iran's policy of 'exporting the revolution.' Ghassan Charbel It even took away from the government one of its most important powers: the decision of war and peace. Hezbollah never consulted anyone when it embarked on its mission to save Bashar Assad's regime with Iran and Russia's backing. It never consulted anyone when it opened its 'support front' in solidarity with Gaza following the Oct. 7, 2023, Al-Aqsa Flood Operation. The Syrian army, meanwhile, overestimated its own strength before realizing it would be unable to save the Assad regime. So, it turned to pro-Iran militias and Russian air power. Iran would also reap another success, this time in Iraq, where Gen. Qassem Soleimani would turn Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani's fatwa to take part in the fight against Daesh into an opportunity to form a parallel army called the Popular Mobilization Forces. Of course, we cannot deny the role of the PMF in fighting Daesh, but recent developments in Iraq are demonstrating the difficulty of having two armies coexisting in one map. We can add to the above the Houthi coup in Yemen, which completed the Axis of Resistance, marking an unprecedented success for Iran. It managed to not only surround Israel, but also some other countries in the region. It established a group of armies to serve as its proxies and keep danger away from its own territory. Iran possessed decisive cards in four countries that it could leverage in any serious negotiations with the US. Building the Axis of Resistance demanded billions of dollars and meddling in the internal affairs of other countries. It built massive tunnel networks, set up weapons smuggling routes and carried out attacks, bombings and assassinations. With the axis all set up, Iran appeared to be the Middle East's most powerful player. However, the axis would eventually break apart due to three factors: Israel's military superiority on various fronts, the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and the toppling of the Assad regime in Syria. Recent developments in Iraq are demonstrating the difficulty of having two armies coexisting in one map. Ghassan Charbel Iran has so far refused to acknowledge the new reality in the region, even after the war reached its own skies and claimed the lives of its generals and scientists. It is having a hard time admitting that Yahya Sinwar's Al-Aqsa Flood Operation turned into a calamity for the Axis of Resistance. The axis lost Syria — its most significant link — and Hezbollah, with its ability to fight or deter Israel. Iran lost its ability to attack Israel from the territory of its Arab neighbors. To add to that, the governments in Baghdad, Damascus and Beirut are all demanding that the state has a monopoly over arms, while demanding roadmaps that are safeguarded by constitutions and regular armies, not the factions. Given its past experiences, Baghdad has concluded that it cannot speak of stability, prosperity and investment if drones operated by the 'private sector' can attack radars or oil fields or if members of the PMF can 'punish' the state's own security forces. The parliament's confusion over how to deal with the PMF law does not stem just from the US' opposition to it. Meanwhile, remarks by an adviser to the Iranian supreme leader, Ali Akbar Velayati, reflect just how much Tehran refuses to acknowledge and work with the changes that have taken place in the region. He rejected the Lebanese government's decision to disarm all factions, including Hezbollah, disregarding Lebanon's drive toward wanting to once again become a normal state that makes its own decisions through its institutions. Velayati also said the PMF in Iraq was playing the same role Hezbollah played in Lebanon. In a remarkable development that reflects the extent of the changes in the region, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry condemned Velayati's statements as blatant interference in Lebanese internal affairs. The Iraqi, Syrian and Lebanese people are dreaming of the establishment of their own normal states. The factions are not the sole cause of instability in the region, but their presence is preventing countries from consolidating their institutions, fighting corruption and carrying out development plans. Armed factions weaken states and waste the most important revolution any country can possess — that of stability under the rule of law. The factions' insistence on holding on to their arsenals means that difficult days are ahead. Rejecting a normal state means the factions will pour fuel on the fire of regional maps. • Ghassan Charbel is editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper. X: @GhasanCharbel This article first appeared in Asharq Al-Awsat.

EU condemns Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza
EU condemns Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza

Arab News

time13 minutes ago

  • Arab News

EU condemns Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza

BRUSSELS: The European Union condemned the killing of five Al Jazeera journalists in an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip, the bloc's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday. 'The EU condemns the killing of five Al Jazeera journalists in an (Israeli military) airstrike outside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, including the Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Al-Sharif,' she said after EU foreign ministers discussed the war in virtual talks. An Israeli military statement accused Sharif of heading a Hamas 'terrorist cell' and being 'responsible for advancing rocket attacks' against Israelis. The EU took note of Israel's allegation, Kallas said, 'but there is a need in these cases to provide clear evidence, in the respect of rule of law, to avoid targeting of journalists.' The 27-country bloc has struggled to take action over the conflict in Gaza as it is divided between staunch supporters of Israel and those who defend the Palestinians. The EU struck a deal last month to increase aid access to Gaza, but senior officials have said the agreement has been only partially implemented. Kallas called on Israel to allow more aid into the territory. 'Whereas there is more aid coming in, the needs are still much greater. We urge Israel to allow more trucks and a better distribution of aid,' she said.

Dusit expands Saudi portfolio with new resort in Al-Ahsa
Dusit expands Saudi portfolio with new resort in Al-Ahsa

Arab News

time43 minutes ago

  • Arab News

Dusit expands Saudi portfolio with new resort in Al-Ahsa

Thai hospitality company Dusit International has signed a hotel management agreement with Al-Ghadeer Group to operate dusitD2 Al-Ahsa — a new upper-upscale resort in the heart of Al-Ahsa Oasis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula. The signing ceremony was held under the patronage of Al-Ahsa Gov. Prince Saud bin Talal, and was attended by notable dignitaries including Naif Al-Madi, chief business officer of the Tourism Development Fund; Sheikh Bassem Al-Ghadeer, chairman of Al-Ghadeer Group of Companies; and Gilles Cretallaz, chief operating officer of Dusit International. Located just 30 minutes by car from Al-Ahsa International Airport and 90 minutes from Dammam, dusitD2 Al-Ahsa is set amidst palm-fringed landscapes and dramatic mountain vistas. The resort will offer 120 spacious suites, ranging from one-bedroom to three-bedroom configurations, each with a private terrace and plunge pool, providing an elevated sense of privacy and relaxation. Designed by Cairo-based El-Ghoneimi Architects, the resort's masterplan draws inspiration from the desert's timeless beauty, the nearby mountains, and the life-giving symbolism of the palm tree. Guests will enjoy a comprehensive range of premium facilities, including a wellness center with private treatment rooms, meditation areas, and dedicated spaces for yoga and holistic healing; an elegant 1,500-square-meter ballroom and expansive outdoor event lawn for weddings and large social or corporate gatherings; well-equipped meeting rooms for business travelers; a vibrant all-day dining restaurant; a lobby café offering light gourmet fare; a large outdoor swimming pool with an adjoining kids' pool; and a dedicated kids club providing engaging activities in a safe and stimulating environment. Surrounded by cultural and ecological treasures such as Al-Qarah Mountain, Juatha Park, and the historic Qaisariah Souq, the resort is ideally positioned to serve as a gateway for domestic and international travelers seeking meaningful experiences and immersive stays amid the largest oasis in the world. 'This important signing reflects our strategic commitment to bringing Dusit's unique brand of Thai-inspired, gracious hospitality to key destinations worldwide and our dedication to delivering sustainable value for the communities we serve,' said Cretallaz. 'We are delighted to partner with Al-Ghadeer Group to create a destination that celebrates Al-Ahsa's rich heritage and natural beauty while offering exceptional comfort, modern luxury, responsible design, and memorable experiences for guests of all ages.' Set to open in 2027, dusitD2 Al-Ahsa underscores Dusit International's continued expansion in the Middle East, where the company currently operates nine properties and continues to explore opportunities to deliver holistic hospitality experiences across the region. It is the second Dusit-branded property confirmed for Saudi Arabia, following the upcoming opening of Dusit Princess Al-Majma'ah, Riyadh, scheduled for Q4 this year.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store