OREANDA-NEWS. May 08, 2014. 14 international companies specialized in energy conservation solutions participated in the first Saudi Aramco Lighting Efficiency Exhibit.

Khalid A. Al-Falih, president and CEO, inaugurated the event. “This might be a small step on the energy conservation road, but it is a major step toward changing the society’s prevailing culture toward one of preserving its resources.”

Al-Falih said preserving energy and avoiding waste is among the company’s initiatives designed to boost the Kingdom’s economy, but the challenge is apparent. “The Kingdom’s energy intensity is among the world’s highest, with our per capita consumption amounting to double the world average per international statistics,” he noted.

The CEO further emphasized that energy preservation is a long journey that starts with small steps, but that Saudi Aramco, through its various efforts, has made several giant steps on this road as the numerous awareness campaigns conducted inside and outside the company have made significant contributions. Starting with itself, the company replaced all light bulbs in its community with energy-saving LEDs.

“It is important to change consumer culture through awareness campaigns focusing on the idea that energy saving is not only about money. Rather, it is a social concept that preserves our resources for future generations. This exhibit is part of such efforts. Such steps, though small, will be effective on the road to energy preservation in the Kingdom, and we hope that future steps will be faster and stronger,” Al-Falih said. “Finally, I would like to thank all the organizers of this exhibit and all who helped bring it out in such a respected manner.”

Ahmad O. Al-Khowaiter, acting executive director of Power Systems, said that the exhibit is part of the Accelerated Transformation Program. Saudi Aramco started with itself, he said, as it sought to raise the awareness of its employees and change the culture in the area of energy conservation, thereby providing an example for society to follow in taking steps to curb rising power consumption, especially considering that, in the end, we are consuming non-renewable energy.

Al-Khowaiter added that the first challenge facing the Kingdom today is the fast growing power demand, as power demand growth averaged 8 percent annually over the past five years, raising peak loads to more than 53 megawatts. In light of the Kingdom’s rapid population growth, consumption is expected to grow by 100 percent at peak times over the coming 20 years.

Accompanied by Abdulrahman F. Al-Wuhaib, senior vice president of Downstream, Hany K. Abu Khadra, executive director of Community Services, and Nasser A. Al-Nafisee, acting executive director of Corporate Affairs, Al-Falih toured the exhibiting companies’ sections displaying their latest innovations. Exhibited items included light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in various forms with various indoor and outdoor coverage areas.

Al-Falih inquired during his tour about various types of lamps and their ability to provide stronger lighting for large areas with the least amount of energy. Exhibitors indicated that the useful life of such lamps exceeds 80,000 hours, they save 30 percent of the power and reduce the emission of heat in rooms, thereby reducing energy consumed by air-conditioning units.

Al-Falih also toured the Children’s Corner of the exhibit where activities included drawing and coloring books on power conservation, as well as a photo-taking corner.

Abu Khadra said the event was “yet another example of Saudi Aramco’s initiatives aimed at reinforcing the company’s commitment to drive energy efficiency through the use of energy efficient lighting.