Episode 20! 🎉 The 966 Hosts discuss Gaussin's hydrogen-powered Dakar Rally truck, Saudi coffee, mining and minerals in Saudi Arabia and why that sector is now in focus, oil in 2022, and much more in the program's "Yallah" final segment.
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1:00 - Richard's one big thing this week is the first hydrogen-powered truck to take part in the legendary Dakar Rally set off Saturday from the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah.
Produced by the French automotive startup Gaussin SA and sponsored by the state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco, the H2 Racing Truck ran the first 12-mile stage of the race as a demonstration vehicle.
Gaussin also plans to install a temporary hydrogen-powered tent at the end of the race.
9:15 - Lucien's one big thing this week is Saudi coffee.
Saudi Arabia is launching a new publicity drive called "The Year of Saudi Coffee" as part of a drive to create awareness of the unique brew of one of the world's favorite drinks and perhaps create a larger market for the export of Saudi coffee. Lucien talks about how Saudi coffee is one of his favorite things about Saudi Arabia, and how it represents the famous Saudi hospitality and culture. In the past few years, coffee bean farms in Jazan have been given special attention as support for farmers has increased, and special care has been given to the Khawlani bean.
14:16 - The first topic the hosts tackle today is the mining and minerals sector in the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia has the largest mineral deposits in the Middle East. And now, the government is looking to build on its resource endowment with a “new, modern and responsible mining industry in a new and emerging mining hub.” And the Kingdom wants to offer the opportunities in this sector to investors. In the west of the country, the Arabian Shield is a major source of precious and basic minerals such as gold, silver, copper, zinc, chromium, manganese, tungsten, lead, tin, Aluminum and iron.
The upcoming Future Minerals Forum, an event focusing on the mining and minerals sector in the Kingdom, starts Monday, January 11-13 at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
25:33 - Topic 2, Oil's Price in 2022: a Bumpy year ahead?
We're looking at a likely volatile year for oil in 2022. Oil is off to a strong start to 2022. Brent crude on Tuesday jumped to $80 a barrel, its highest since November, as OPEC+ agreed to stick with its planned increase for February.
Oil is what Saudi Arabia wants to diversify away from, but still remains key in the short and medium term the Kingdom. The hosts discuss the oil market at the start of 2022.
39:05 - Yallah, the big finish for the 966 includes a quick discussion of six other top storylines to keep you informed heading into the weekend.
•The Traffic Police of Saudi Arabia recently updated its list of fines due to the high rate of Traffic Violations. Fines range from Category 8 fines of SR100-150 all the way up to Category 1 with fines of SR20,000 to SR 60,000.
•The Saudi International Festival of Motoring (Autoville) is coming to Dirab Motor Park in Riyadh January 8 to 14. Autoville promises to be a wholly experiential and immersive festival, bringing an action-packed experience with stunt shows, driving experiences such as Tokyo drift ride-along, Suzuki Swift track experience, and sprint tracks, and a dedicated after-sales pavilion.
•Saudi Aramco has awarded contracts worth more than $4.5 billion for five key packages meant for its giant Zuluf offshore oilfield expansion project in the Persian Gulf. Zuluf is currently said to be producing between 550,000 and 600,000 bpd of Arabian Medium crude and Aramco is targeting as much as 600,000 barrels per day in additional volumes from the Arabian Heavy reservoir in its next expansion phase.
•Dolce & Gabbana is bringing its lavish Alta Moda, Alta Sartoria and Alta Gioielleria shows to Saudi Arabia for the first time on January 27.
"Known for staging large-scale, theatrical events that fuse emotion with high fashion, Dolce & Gabbana has previously shown its Alta Moda collections in a temple in Sicily, the storied houses of Milan and even inside New York's Metropolitan Opera House. Its last outing in August was in Venice's famed St Mark's Square, where the thunderstorms added to the theatrical beauty of the clothes."
•Jahez IPO'd this week in Saudi Arabia, listing on Nomu, Saudi Arabia's Parallel exchange. The Saudi food delivery firm became the first Saudi tech startup to list on a public exchange in the Kingdom.
