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Center for Energy Studies | Podcast

Saudi Arabia Scales Back Vision 2030 Megaprojects, Shifts Focus to AI and Energy

February 24, 2026 | Jim Krane
saudi arabia

Table of Contents

Author(s)

Jim Krane

Diana Tamari Sabbagh Fellow in Middle East Energy Studies | CES Lead, Energy and Geopolitics in the Middle East | Codirector, Middle East Energy Roundtable

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The Energy Forum

About the Episode

Nearly a decade into Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s diversification drive is entering a more constrained phase: some initiatives are moving ahead, while others are being resized, delayed, or quietly shelved. 

In this episode of "The Energy Forum," host Jim Krane (Diana Tamari Sabbagh Fellow in Middle East Energy Studies) speaks with Karen Elliott House (journalist, author, and former managing editor at The Wall Street Journal) about what is changing inside the Kingdom, from the Public Investment Fund’s shifting priorities to the rise in women’s workforce participation, the AI push, regional security risks, and evolving relations with Iran. What does this shift mean for global energy markets and geopolitics? 

This episode was recorded on Feb. 18, 2026. 

Listen and subscribe to “The Energy Forum” wherever you listen to podcasts.

About ‘The Energy Forum’

Hosted by experts at the Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies, “The Energy Forum” podcast brings together policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders to explore key topics in energy and sustainability.

 

 

This material may be quoted or reproduced without prior permission, provided appropriate credit is given to the author and Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. The views expressed herein are those of the individual author(s), and do not necessarily represent the views of Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

© 2026 Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy
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