Saudi Arabia slows $109 billion solar program

Saudi Arabia is delaying by eight years its target to complete a clean-energy program including $109 billion in solar power, saying it needs more time to assess what technologies it will use.

The project was originally intended to produce one-third of the nation's electricity from solar panels by 2032 and more from wind, geothermal and nuclear reactors. The ambition was to save more crude oil for export.

"We have revised the outlook to focus on 2040 as the major milestone for long-term energy planning in Saudi Arabia," said Hashim Yamani, president of the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, the royal agency established to oversee renewable energy policy.