Saudi officials said producing electricity from solar energy in Farasan Island would save 14,000 barrels of liquid fuel a year. Electricity production would help the kingdom in its efforts to reduce its consumption of oil, Saudi Arabia's al-Iqtisadiya reported Monday (November 14th).

Abdul Salam Abdul Aziz al-Yemeni, vice president for public affairs in the Saudi Electricity Company, told the newspaper, "The success of this experiment in Farasan Island would be the start of an important effort to produce electricity in the kingdom."

The 500-kilowatt solar power plant, which produces 864,000 kilowatts per hour, was built by Japan's Showa Shell, with the support of Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Al-Yemeni said the company will expand the plant in the future, and it might choose to apply the experiment in other power plants where fuel transport costs are high.