Oil now makes less than a third of Saudi power
Saudi Arabia's electricity generation by fuel, % of total, 2014–2025 (selected years), Ember yearly data.
- 1. Egypt is set to outgrow Japan in 2027, then Russia
- 2. In 2025, Suez Canal traffic was under half its record
- 3. Egypt exports more fresh oranges than any other country
- 4. Egypt is the world's biggest wheat buyer
- 5. Saudi Arabia has more desalination capacity than the entire US
- 6. Three in four UAE residents are international migrants
- 7. Only America draws more new foreign projects than the UAE
- 8. Algeria outspends all of sub-Saharan Africa on its military
- 9. Women in MENA now outpace men at university
- 10. Dubai's airport handles more international travellers than Heathrow
- 11. The UAE sold more goods abroad than France in 2025
- 12. Oil now makes less than a third of Saudi power
Oil's share of Saudi electricity in 2025, down from 53.5% in 2014.
Gas overtook oil in 2016 and made almost two-thirds of Saudi power in 2025; solar and wind reached 4.2%.
Saudi power plants made less electricity from oil in 2025 than in 2014, though total output rose 44%: more crude is left to sell.
the numbers & method
| Oil and other fossil (TWh) | Gas (TWh) | Solar and wind (TWh) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 175.7 | 152.5 | 0.1 |
| 2016 | 169.1 | 188.6 | 0.1 |
| 2020 | 148.4 | 231.6 | 0.9 |
| 2025 | 151.2 | 300.4 | 19.8 |
Claim types Fact · Interpretation
Ember yearly electricity generation data, read on the Ember API (api.ember-energy.org/v1/electricity-generation/yearly, entity SAU) on 4 Nov 2026. Generation, TWh (shares are of total generation): oil and other fossil 2014 175.67 (53.5%), 2015 185.26 (52.8%), 2016 169.05 (47.3%), 2020 148.41 (39.0%), 2025 151.23 (32.1%); gas 2014 152.48 (46.5%), 2016 188.56 (52.7%), 2020 231.57 (60.8%), 2025 300.43 (63.7%); solar 2025 18.18 (3.9%); wind 2025 1.59 (0.3%); total 2014 328.20, 2025 471.42. Ember's 'other fossil' category covers oil and other fossil fuels; Saudi Arabia generates no power from coal, nuclear or hydro in this data. Ember compiles national statistics and, where these are missing or late, its own estimates; the latest year may be revised. Changes are progrss calculations; 'more crude is left to sell' is an interpretation. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Oil-fired output was lowest in 2020 (148.41 TWh) and has been roughly flat since; the −14% compares 2025 with 2014, near the 2015 peak (185.26).
Published 4 Nov 2026
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