JEDDAH: The first phase of replacing traditional street lights with energy-saving LED lights was launched today in the Kingdom by Tarshid and the Ministry of Transport and Logistics. They completed the first phase of a project to replace road lamps in the Eastern Province, Madinah, Najran, Qassim, and Jeddah, where the first phase of the project was completed with significant savings in consumption. In its first phase, Tarshid will be replacing 17,000 traditional lamps with energy-saving LED lights, and 45,000 lamps in the second phase of the Kingdom-wide project. These efforts are in line with the standards issued by the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization, as well as international standards that aim to raise energy efficiency and reduce consumption. By the end of the project, it is expected to achieve savings of about 104 million kilowatts per hour annually from the total consumption, which is equivalent to more than 60 percent of the previous electricity consumption. This indicates that the expected savings will equate to over 166,000 barrels of oil annually, avoiding 68,000 tons of harmful carbon emissions per year, which is equivalent to the environmental impact of planting about 1.1 million seedlings. Deputy Minister Badr Abdullah Al-Dalami confirmed that this project will contribute to achieving the National Strategy for Transport and Logistics Services objectives, which aim to raise the road quality index in the Kingdom to sixth place globally. Al-Dalami added that the project will help reduce carbon emissions by approximately 25 percent, indicating that the cooperation with Tarshid “came to fruition effectively and was the main motive for the completion of the first phase of the project; and that work is based on completing the remaining phases.” The goals of the joint cooperation between Tarshid and the ministry are to rely on alternative and sustainable energy sources, reduce maintenance costs, and improve the quality of life and services provided. Tarshid CEO Waled Alghreri explained that the work mechanism started from conducting technical studies on the roads within the scope of each project area. This study included field surveys, encompassing the technical measurements necessary to determine the appropriate level of road illumination, applying international standards and Saudi specifications to ensure optimum lighting levels.