زيارة باريس.. قراءة جديدة لأمن الطاقة

In times of global crises and market turmoil, the traditional energy question resurfaces: who owns the most oil?

However, the agreements and partnerships witnessed during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to France open the door to a question that may be more important today: who possesses the system capable of production, sustainability, and expansion?

Energy in today's world is no longer just a resource that is extracted and sold; it is an integrated system that intertwines several links to ensure the transformation of the resource into reliable and sustainable supplies.

Between the existence of the resource and its reliable delivery to the economy, a wide system of equipment, supply chains, technologies, networks, and financing operates.

From this perspective, one can read part of the Paris agreements through four interconnected links.

The first: equipment and supply chains.

Aramco's agreements with French companies to supply specialized materials and equipment for drilling oil and gas wells and steel pipes remind us of a fact that may not often appear in energy news: the reliability of production begins before the oil leaves the well. These partnerships are based on advanced French expertise in manufacturing drilling equipment for oil wells.

Operations require specialized equipment and materials that meet the required specifications at the right time and place. Therefore, the strength of the supply chain is not just a logistical detail behind the scenes, but one of the elements that support the continuity of operations.

The second: data and technology.

The memorandum of understanding between Digital Aramco and Dassault Systèmes to explore cooperation in artificial intelligence and virtual twin technologies opens another window into the future of the industry.

The virtual twin, in its simplest form, allows for the creation of a digital representation of assets and operations, utilizing data and simulations to better understand scenarios. Here, industrial artificial intelligence differs from the common image of artificial intelligence that we use daily; it becomes part of the tools for improving decision-making and efficiency in a complex industrial environment.

Importantly, the agreement discusses studying potential applications, marking the beginning of a technical path rather than an announcement of a completed operational application.

The third: the network and infrastructure.

The electricity network represents a crucial link in the energy system, supporting the continuity of supplies and keeping pace with demand growth and expansion within the system.

The agreement between "Saudi Energy" and the French National Investment Bank Bpifrance is part of the cooperation to support the development and modernization of the electricity network in the Kingdom.

The fourth: financing.

Financing serves as a supportive link for major projects and their expansion. Various financing solutions between Saudi and French entities emerge in the Paris agreements, reflecting the diversity of financial cooperation tools between the two countries.

When we place these four links side by side, the picture becomes clear:

Equipment + Data + Network + Financing.

They may seem like separate files, but when combined, they reveal an important aspect of how the modern energy sector operates.

This leads us to a broader meaning of energy security; it is not just about the availability of the resource alone, but about the capability of the surrounding system to support reliable production, sustain operations, transport energy, accommodate demand growth, and finance future expansion.

Moreover, the visit placed energy in a broader context, emphasizing the importance of stability in global energy markets, supply security, and the protection of maritime corridors, while highlighting the Kingdom's role in enhancing the resilience of supply chains and the sustainability of energy sources.

Here, the reading of the Paris agreements becomes even more interesting.

The story is not that the Kingdom is transitioning from oil to something else, nor that natural resources have become less important; rather, it is building around what it possesses in terms of resources and capabilities a broader system of industry, technology, infrastructure, financing, and international partnerships.

Here, the story of Saudi energy expands: from the strength of the resource to the strength of the system that surrounds it and manages its future.