A German trade delegation is currently in the Kingdom to explore investment opportunities in green energy. Led by Harry K. Voigtsberger, Minister of Economic Affairs of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), the group arrived Friday to meet with high-ranking Saudi officials and businessmen. They met already with Saleh Al-Awaji, deputy Minister of Water and Electricity; and Mohammad Bin Sulaiman Al-Jasser, Minister of National Economy and Planning. Voigtsberger underlined NRW's intent to actively contribute to the Saudi demand for transfer of technology and know-how in chemical and petrochemical industries. "According to my impression, vocational training and qualifying of the Saudi youth is one of the most important issues for the Saudi society, and NRW could offer solutions for this challenge," Voigtsberger said, noting that "around 761,000 small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) serve as the economic backbone of NRW state. Voigtsberger further said the Saudi government showed great interest in developing renewable energy as well. "Many companies in Germany are involved in the green energy as the government has taken the decision to exit nuclear energy and the fact that over 17 nuclear energy plants are going to be shut down, which means we have to replace them by renewable energy. The decision is that in 40 years, all the energy will be produced from green sources in Germany. I see a great field for international cooperation (in this area)," he said. Andreas Hergenroether, the delegate of German Industry and Commerce for Saudi Arabia and Yemen, said there are very good opportunities for cooperation between the NRW state and Saudi Arabia because of the common interest of the two parties. __
