RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s heritage city AlUla is on its way to transforming into a sustainable tourism destination as the local authority has roped in a global power management specialist to provide smart and renewable energy solutions for its infrastructure and buildings. The Royal Commission of AlUla, the body responsible for protecting and safeguarding the archaeological and cultural values of the city, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Schneider Electric to advance the adoption of sustainable energy management solutions including smart microgrids and intelligent buildings. The agreement was signed between Mohammad Shaheen, cluster president of Schneider Electric for Saudi Arabia and Lawrence Eta, vice president for Digital & Analytics at the RCU, during a recent energy summit in Riyadh. The French energy firm will also offer consultancy on data centers and electric mobility infrastructure to operate hotels, museums and residential buildings in AlUla. “By deploying the latest software and technologies, Schneider Electric and RCU will work to make the Kingdom’s fast-growing tourism industry not only more resilient, energy-efficient and cost-effective but greener and cleaner for generations to come,” said Shaheen in a statement. He added: “We are pleased to sign this agreement with RCU, which is symbolic of our mission to build hyper-effective partnerships that contribute to a more electric, digital and sustainable world.” Developing AlUla is a crucial agenda of Saudi Arabia’s National Tourism Strategy, as the Kingdom aims to attract 100 million visitors by 2030 and increase the tourism sector’s contribution to the gross domestic product to more than 10 percent. The tourism strategy also eyes creating an additional 1 million job opportunities in the Kingdom. In March, RCU signed an agreement with the Paris-based Center Pompidou to develop a contemporary art museum in AlUla. The new museum is set to focus on 21st-century works by regional artists, extending to the South Asian and North African diasporas.