Oil & Gas

Saudi Arabia is a global energy powerhouse, holding a significant share of the world’s petroleum reserves. It is a leading crude oil producer and exporter, with Saudi Aramco operating across upstream, midstream and downstream segments.

Key Features:

• Upstream Production: One of the world’s largest producers of crude oil and gas, with Aramco’s extraction costs among the lowest globally. Reuters

• Refining: The kingdom operates multiple domestic refineries with combined capacity in the millions of barrels per day, and substantial overseas refining investments that enhance global market presence.

• Energy Security & Net‑Zero Goals: Saudi Arabia continues developing cleaner conventional oil operations, carbon capture (CCUS), hydrogen and renewables while targeting net‑zero emissions by 2060.

The oil and gas sector remains foundational for government revenue, economic planning and industrial investment, even as Saudi Arabia expands into downstream and alternative energy markets.

Petrochemical & Chemical

Petrochemicals are a strategic growth area, building value from abundant hydrocarbon feedstocks. Saudi Arabia is home to major petrochemical producers like SABIC, with extensive integrated facilities in industrial hubs such as Jubail and Yanbu.

Sector Strengths:

• Producing polymers (like polyethylene), ethylene, methanol, and other chemicals used globally in plastics, textiles, coatings and automotive industries.

• Joint ventures (e.g., Petro Rabigh) link refining to petrochemicals, producing inputs for hundreds of industrial products.

• Investments in more complex chemical facilities aim to deepen value chains beyond basic petrochemicals.

This sector supports export diversification, domestic manufacturing input supply and high‑value industrial output.

Power & Energy

While fossil fuels still dominate Saudi electricity generation, the country aggressively expands renewable and alternative energy sources as part of its long‑term sustainability agenda.

Power Landscape:

• Major power and desalination complexes like Shoaiba integrate electricity generation with water production, addressing energy and water needs simultaneously.

• Renewables are scaling up rapidly, with large solar and wind projects planned to add tens of gigawatts of clean energy capacity by 2030, aiming for 50% power from renewables.

• Investments in hydrogen (both blue and green) are emerging as future energy export opportunities.

Saudi Arabia’s energy sector thus bridges conventional reliability with a transition toward lower‑carbon systems.

Water & Wastewater

Water scarcity shapes Saudi infrastructure planning. The Saudi Water Authority leads one of the world’s largest desalinated water production systems, accounting for about 22% of global desalination capacity.

Water Industry Highlights:

• Over 30 desalination plants across the Kingdom supply freshwater for cities, industry and agriculture.

• Growing investments in wastewater treatment and reuse reduce environmental stress and support industrial and urban water efficiency.

Smart water networks, recycled water for agriculture and desalination expansions remain government priorities.

Manufacturing & Fabrication

Manufacturing is a cornerstone of Saudi economic diversification, expanding beyond petrochemicals into sectors like construction materials, food processing, automotive supply chains, aerospace components and more.

Manufacturing Growth Drivers:

• Industrial cities and economic zones (e.g., King Abdullah Economic City, Sudair, Ras Al‑Khair) integrate production with logistics and export infrastructure.

• Factory counts have grown significantly, with plans for tens of thousands of facilities by 2035

• Local content and industrial strategy incentives attract both domestic and foreign investment.

As manufacturing expands, it helps reduce import dependence and unlocks employment opportunities in high‑skill sectors.

Metals & Mining

Under Vision 2030, mining is one of the fastest‑growing non‑oil industries, leveraging Saudi Arabia’s abundant mineral resources and plans to develop comprehensive value chains.

Metals & Mining Focus:

• Extraction and processing of aluminum, iron, base metals, industrial minerals, and precious metals with domestic production and global export potential.

• Strategic investments — including phosphate megaprojects and critical minerals development — aim to diversify exports and build industrial feedstocks.

• Mining infrastructure clusters such as Ras Al‑Khair Industrial City support integrated processing, logistics, and export.

The sector is positioned to become a third pillar of the Saudi non‑oil economy, complementing energy and petrochemicals.

Infrastructure, Construction & Facilities

Saudi Arabia is undertaking unprecedented infrastructure development to support urban growth, industrial expansion, logistics and tourism.

Infrastructure Highlights:

• Massive investments in roads, rail networks and ports connect industrial clusters to global shipping lanes and regional markets.

• Urban megaprojects (such as NEOM, Qiddiya and urban centers in Riyadh and Jeddah) include residential, commercial and mixed‑use developments.

• Facilities management is a growing sector, supporting millions of square meters of built environments.

Construction activity not only builds physical capacity but also provides significant employment and supply chain opportunities.

Marine & Offshore

Saudi Arabia’s maritime sector links it to international trade routes and energy exports. The Kingdom’s Red Sea and Arabian Gulf ports handle global cargo flows and industrial materials.

Marine Sector Dynamics:

• Port infrastructure at Jeddah, Dammam, Jubail, and King Abdullah Economic City enhances logistics for imports and exports.

• Offshore oil and gas operations require extensive marine support, including logistics, maintenance, and specialized vessels.

The marine ecosystem underpins Saudi Arabia’s role in global energy markets and growing export diversification.

Heavy Industry & Process Plants

Heavy industry encompasses large‑scale installations like refineries, petrochemical complexes, mining processing plants, power generation facilities, and advanced fabrication plants.

Sector Attributes:

• Integrated industrial parks — combining extraction, processing, manufacturing, and logistics — boost operational efficiency and global competitiveness.

• Specialized clusters for aviation, automotive parts, machinery and industrial equipment are emerging within the industrial strategy.

• Heavy sectors drive demand for supporting professions in engineering, procurement, construction and maintenance.

These megaprojects create high‑value economic activity and anchor long‑term industrial development in the Kingdom.

Saudi Arabia’s industrial landscape is rapidly evolving from traditional hydrocarbon dependency to a diversified economy under Vision 2030. While oil and gas remain central, strategic investments — spanning petrochemicals, renewables, power, water infrastructure, manufacturing, metals and mining, construction, marine logistics and heavy industry — are creating a resilient industrial base with global relevance.

This transformation strengthens economic stability, enhances export diversity, and positions Saudi Arabia as a major industrial and trade hub in the Middle East and beyond. Whether attracting foreign capital or developing local industrial capabilities, the Kingdom’s industrial agenda is set to shape global markets for decades to come.