Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) Chief Executive Officer Ali bin Saleh Al-Barrak signed eight contracts on Tuesday amounting to SR3.19 billion for new substations to meet the rising demand for electric power in the Kingdom.

“The projects will raise the level of electrical services provided by SEC and increase its reliability by providing stable and uninterrupted usage,” Al-Barrak said.

The contracts include the construction of substations in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Qassim to meet power demands in the areas.

Records show that Saudi Arabia has been experiencing increasing power consumption since 1980’s from 1,940.72 kWh (kilo watt per hour) to 8,022.45 kWh.

Naif Al-Abadi, director general of the Saudi Energy Efficiency Center (SEEC), noted earlier the “alarmingly high rate of energy consumption in Saudi Arabia.”

He also believed that the power consumption in the Kingdom will continue unless something is done about it.

Furthermore, records show that power cuts in different Saudi regions especially in the Jeddah Industrial city has been occurring in the past.

Al-Barrak, on the other hand, promised that the new projects will greatly help in the economic development of the Kingdom.

The construction of the projects is expected to be completed in 1 year and 3 months’ time.

Electrical substations are used to transfer electricity to other places.