Empowering Saudi Arabia's sustainable energy future: A LEAP-Based approach for balancing energy supply and demand

Electricity demand in Saudi Arabia is experiencing a volatile upward trend, driven by fluctuations in population and GDP. With non-Saudis making up 40 % of the population, shifts in government policies have directly impacted these numbers, stalling potential growth. Using the Long-range Energy Alternative Planning System (LEAP), four future energy supply and demand scenarios are explored: (1) Low Growth (LG), (2) Medium Growth (MG), (3) High Growth (HG), and (4) High Growth with Demand Management and Energy Efficiency (HGDE). By 2035, demand could soar from 328.6 TWh in the LG scenario to 518 TWh in the HG scenario. Emissions in the LG scenario are projected at 62.1 MMtCO2E, increasing to 103.8 MMtCO2E in the HG scenario. The implementation of Vision (2030) targets is crucial to supporting this growth.