’s energy story is moving fast. Ambitious renewable targets sit alongside an immediate need for reliable, dispatchable power — and gas power sits squarely at the intersection of those two priorities. The Kingdom has committed to sourcing half of its power from renewables by 2030, a transformation that requires not only solar and wind build-out but also a modern, flexible gas fleet to balance intermittent generation and secure dependable energy supply during the transition.
What this means in practice is that gas power is not a stopgap; it is an enabling technology. Highly efficient, flexible, hydrogen-capable gas turbines and advanced grid solutions allow Saudi utilities to integrate large volumes of renewables without compromising reliability. GE Vernova is proud to be part of that enabling layer — delivering both equipment and the services, digital tools and local capability that turn strategy into sustained, operating reality. Recent project activity and collaborations in the Kingdom illustrate that point.
Across the Kingdom we are seeing large combined-cycle projects designed to add firm capacity while allowing rapid renewable scale-up. For example, GE Vernova has secured multiple H-class gas turbine orders to expand capacity at key projects such as Qurayyah IPP, where our 7HA.03 and 7HA.02 turbines will play a major role in providing efficient and flexible generation. These H-class units are among the most efficient and flexible heavy-duty turbines available today — a critical attribute as operators ramp up the share of renewables.
On the ground, our Saudi teams — including GESAT — are delivering complex hardware and modules at pace. Recently, our GESAT operation supplied accessory modules for the Hajr power plant expansion and rolled out the first HA.03 turbine locally for the region, a milestone that demonstrates both technical capability and maturation of the local supply chain. Local execution of outages and maintenance is also evolving: Saudi engineers and GE Vernova specialists completed a fully Saudi-led gas turbine outage at an SEC plant, showing that knowledge transfer is taking root.
Achieving Vision 2030’s goals will depend on local skills, local industry and institutional collaboration across public and private sectors. That’s why our investments in localization — through GESAT, GEMTEC and the MENA Decarbonization Center of Excellence — matter. These facilities are more than technology work benches: they are training grounds and research and development hubs for innovation in the Kingdom. The Decarbonization CoE in particular accelerates applied research and the piloting of low-carbon technologies suited to the region’s needs.
Complementing capability building, strategic agreements and MoUs signed with Saudi stakeholders over the past months have created frameworks for joint projects, local content development and long-term collaboration. These commitments — supported by large equipment orders, local deliveries, and joint forums we convene — strengthen the ecosystem needed to meet both capacity and decarbonization goals.
Looking ahead, the pathway to 2030 is clear in one respect: renewables will scale aggressively, and gas will remain the firming backbone that keeps the lights on while emissions fall. Our approach is pragmatic and multi-pronged: supply our highest-efficiency, hydrogen-ready turbines; expand local manufacturing and services so projects are delivered faster and sustain long lifecycles; and work with customers on retrofit, digital and decarbonization solutions — including carbon capture readiness and hydrogen blending where appropriate.
For industry leaders, policymakers and investors, the focus should be on integrated planning: aligning generation procurement, grid upgrades, local skill pipelines and financing to de-risk the transition. GE Vernova’s role is to bring proven technology, deep project experience and local teams that can execute at scale — helping achieve a resilient, affordable and lower-carbon power system by 2030 and set the foundation for net-zero ambitions thereafter.
In the end, success will be measured by megawatts delivered reliably, jobs created locally, and measurable reductions in carbon intensity. We are committed to playing our part — through advanced equipment, localized manufacturing and collaborations that turn national ambition into real, sustained progress.
- The writer, Hisham Al-Bahkali, is president of GE Vernova .
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