Vienna Energy Scholar Programme in Saudi Arabia
The programme for university students in Austria was initiated by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the City of Vienna.
HE Haitham Al-Ghais, OPEC Secretary General (left), HRH Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman Al-Saud, Minister of Energy (middle), and Eng. Adeeb Al-Aama, Saudi Governor for OPEC (right), with the participants
Three one-week courses with about 45 students have taken place in Vienna so far. The programme focuses on energy planning and sustainable energy. OPEC, OMV, the Austrian Foreign Ministry, the City of Vienna's Department for Energy Planning, the smart city agency Urban Innovation Vienna, and Vienna's energy supplier Wien Energie have held lectures and organised workshops for the programme.
Extensive programme
The one-week programme in Vienna is completed by a one-week visit to one of the OPEC member countries. In February 2024, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hosted the one-week visit. The country has been undergoing a major transformation in recent years, particularly in terms of society, so that regular visitors to the Kingdom can hardly keep up with the changes. In the packed programme, the group from Austria was also shown the incredible changes in the field of energy planning.
At the Ministry of Energy, renowned experts talked about the planned planting of 50 million trees and presented state-of-the-art, climate-friendly residential buildings of the future. The programme also included a guided tour of the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran and a visit to the desert and one of the largest oil fields of Saudi energy giant Aramco in the Empty Quarter region, the Rub' al-Khali desert. The participants concluded the visit by attending an international conference of the International Energy Forum in Riyadh as OPEC has a leading role in future sustainable energy planning.
Saudi Ambassador meets Mayor Ludwig
Dr Michael Ludwig, Mayor and Governor of Vienna, and HE Ambassador Dr Abdullah Khalid O. Tawlah at Vienna City Hall
In the run-up to the visit, Mayor Dr Michael Ludwig welcomed Ambassador Dr Abdullah Khalid O. Tawlah to Vienna City Hall. The friendly talks focused on common interests and future cooperation.
Saudi Arabia is the worldwide leading producer of oil as well as one of the most important geopolitical players and the largest economy in the region.
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