The second edition of the Jubail Energy Management Conference kicked off on Monday, running until Tuesday, at the King Abdullah Civilization Center. The conference brings together industry, government and academic interests to improve energy management in Saudi Arabia. The event is held under the patronage of the CEO of the Royal Commission in Jubail, Mustafa Al-Mahdi, along with officials, researchers and experts in the field of energy, from around the world. Director General of Operation and Maintenance, Eng. Jassim Al-Haroun said that the conference will be launched to fulfil the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which aims to improve the government’s efficient spending and energy efficiency. Al-Haroun said the conference will discuss the latest developments that contribute to sustainable energy development in all sectors. This will be achieved via coordination and the sharing of expertise using research in the industrial, trade and housing fields in the Kingdom. It will also look into the challenges facing energy development and what are the best application methods and solutions. The main speaker at the conference, Eng. Khalid Al-Tuaimi, executive vice president for Power Generation at the Saudi Electricity Company, began his speech by recalling the history of how electricity first entered Saudi Arabia and the stages of its development. He explained that the Electricity Company has invented several digital solutions that helped improve the efficiency of power plants, leading to the best use of energy. Juergen Braunstein, Research Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, stressed there are several incentives for international companies to invest in Saudi Arabia. He noted that a German company has announced that the Kingdom will witness a growth in energy production that will encourage investors in the field of energy to invest in the kingdom. Braunstein said the Kingdom has a “stimulating environment for investment, specifically in the industrial sector,” adding that there are factors that have pushed Chinese companies to enter the Saudi market, such as the strategic cooperation initiative between China and Saudi Arabia in 2016.