JEDDAH, 26 December 2006 — The ninth electricity production unit in the Shuaiba power generating plant has been brought on line to help meet the demands of Haj. The unit generates approximately 393 megawatts and has been connected to the network to enhance the electricity system of Makkah and the holy sites, in particular, and the Western Province, in general.
Ali Saleh Al-Barak, executive director for the Saudi Electricity Company, said that the main transmission stations at Arafat, Al-Iskan, Hada, Jamoom and Al-Zahra had been expanded to handle the output and enhance the capability of the Makkah electricity network.
For this year’s Haj preparations the network was installed with new upgraded medium and low-tension feeder lines, Al-Barak added.
In addition Al-Barak said that the company carried out precautionary maintenance work on its generators, and transmission and distribution networks to ensure safety and uninterrupted power supply.
The electricity company, through its office in Mina, worked on providing emergency assistance in addition to monitoring its cables located in the holy sites after it finished ensuring the provision of electricity to the pilgrim camps and organizations participating in Haj.
Shuaiba is the first independent water and power project in Saudi Arabia, and the first of a total of four planned major projects. The goal of these projects is to increase installed power plant capacity by 4,500 MW and provide additional 2.2 million cubic meters of drinking water daily.
With the Saudi population slated to double to 40 million by 2020, the country’s power generation capacity has already doubled, projections show.
