RIYADH, 4 September — The Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) will spend SR40 million for new electrification projects in 54 hijras (desert settlements) of the Central Province. Ali ibn Saleh Al-Barrak, vice president of SEC, said the projects would be executed within six to eight months.
Of the 54 hamlets, 32 are located in Riyadh, 12 in Qassim and 10 in Hail. The new projects are part of the company’s plan for the electrification of all villages and desert settlements in the Kingdom.
The SEC executive disclosed that power consumption during this summer increased to 7,200 MW, or four percent over the corresponding period last year.
He said SEC attained 99.4 percent accuracy in the billing system. This was made possible by the introduction of electronic billing system under which electronic meter readers leave no scope for faulty readings. “Given the fact that the company has to issue an enormous number of bills — 3.5 million a month — the margin of error is extremely low,” Al-Barrak observed.
Regarding plans for SEC’s privatization, he said such a course of action has become necessary as the government alone cannot mobilize such a huge investment.
In the meantime, SEC has come a long way following consolidation of eight private companies in the Kingdom’s different provinces. Its services have been streamlined with the launch of efficient new facilities such as payment of bills through phone, ATM and Internet, he added.
