Manila — The Philippines’ Department of Energy (DOE) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) Ministry of Energy have signed a vital partnership agreement to develop a strategy and roadmap for enhanced cooperation in energy development and potential engagements in Artificial Intelligence (AI).

DOE Secretary Raphael Lotilla said, “Prince Abdulaziz (bin Salman Al Saud) and his team expressed interest in our native or naturally occurring hydrogen resources.”

He added, “Given Saudi Arabia’s extensive expertise in the exploration and development of upstream sectors, this cooperation holds promising benefits for both countries.”

The signed PH-KSA partnership agreement states that areas for cooperation will include petroleum derivatives, native hydrogen exploration, sustainable aviation fuel, digital technology for electrical systems management, and energy efficiency.

The two parties will also look into AI to improve energy management, particularly “real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and energy forecasting.”

Secretary Lotilla further stated, “We will also jointly explore the application of digital technology and artificial intelligence to enhance the management of our electrical systems and broader energy infrastructure.”

He noted that digital technology and AI have the potential to revolutionize the energy sector by enabling real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and energy forecasting.

This collaboration, he emphasized, aims to strengthen the country’s energy network by enabling smarter grids, automated control systems, and data-driven decision-making that can reduce waste, enhance resource utilization, and bolster energy security.

“The DOE and KSA’s Ministry of Energy will hold bilateral meetings to tackle the details of this cooperation,” Lotilla said.

📷 Igor Omilaev, Unsplash