RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has launched its first energy hackathon, set to take place ahead of the 25th WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh in October.
The Ministry of Energy opened submissions for the inaugural hackathon, held under the patronage of Energy and Industry Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman.
“Under the patronage of Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, minister of energy and minister of industry and mineral resources, the Ministry of Energy launched the idea submission phase for the inaugural energy hackathon under the theme ‘Ignite Your Ideas’,” the ministry said in a statement on X.
The event will be held at the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center in Riyadh from Oct. 7-9, bringing together young talent and industry specialists to develop solutions to key challenges facing the energy sector.
The hackathon is being held in the leadup to the 25th WPC Energy Congress, which the Kingdom will host in Riyadh from Oct. 11-15 under the theme “Pathways to an Energy Future for All.”
The scheme reinforces Saudi Arabia’s position at the forefront of energy innovation, while advancing the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
The energy hackathon will address six challenges across three tracks: operational efficiency, transformative innovation and intelligent control.
The operational efficiency track will focus on improving inspection capabilities at oil and gas facilities and maintaining power-grid stability as electricity generation from renewable energy sources increases.
The transformative innovation track will explore the design of smart fuel stations and the development of hydrogen-storage technologies, while the intelligent control track will focus on predicting grid failures and managing electricity loads.
Participants will attend specialized workshops and mentoring sessions led by industry experts before developing prototypes for evaluation by a judging panel.
Selected projects will also receive entrepreneurial support after the hackathon to help advance them beyond the prototype stage.
Registration opened on Aug. 19 through www.energy-website.pages.dev and will close on Sept. 16.
Winners will be honored at the hackathon’s closing ceremony on the final day of the WPC Energy Congress at the Riyadh Front Exhibition and Conference Center.
