During his opening address at the sixth session of the Shoura Council that convened on Sunday, the advisory body’s Vice President Bandar bin Mohammed Hajjar said the proposed city would benefit the entire nation by providing the needed power and adequate supply of desalinated water using renewable energy.

Saudi Arabia announced on Saturday the establishment of the King Abdullah Nuclear and Renewable Energy City in Riyadh.

The royal decree issued by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah said development of atomic energy is essential to meet the Kingdom’s growing requirements for energy. Electricity demand in the Kingdom grew by eight percent last year and is expected to grow to more than 60,000 megawatts by 2020.

“The proposal for the establishment of the scientific city clearly demonstrates the keenness of the government of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to  diversify its sources of energy production, especially in the light of the increasing demand for electricity in the Kingdom. It has necessitated the shift toward renewable energy as a cost-effective method,” Hajjar said.

The Shoura Council also approved a draft law aimed at banning smoking in public places, such as airports and mosque courtyards.

Shoura Secretary-General Abdullah Al-Ghamdi said a penalty will be imposed on violators under the proposed law.

“It is the responsibility of the people to refrain from smoking in public places since it harms non-smokers,” he said.  

The draft law consists of 12 chapters, including the ban on the cultivation of tobacco and the manufacture of products that contain tobacco; designating public places like mosque courtyards and sports venues as no-smoking zones; increasing tariffs on imports of tobacco products; adding warning labels to tobacco products; and banning the sale of tobacco to minors.

According to the Euromonitor International, sales of tobacco in the Kingdom have remained unchanged following Saudi Arabia’s signing of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2004 and the government’s subsequent decision to ban smoking in public places, a law that has not been effectively enforced.

The six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council have begun to enact anti-smoking legislation in the last few years as they look to cut the number of smokers. In February, the United Arab Emirates unveiled similar regulations.