The Saudi Electric Company (SEC) is prepared to handle any power failure caused by high temperatures and other factors this summer in Jeddah, according to a company official.
Abd Al-Moeen Al-Shaikh, chief of the western sector at the SEC, said that the company has measures in place to deal with power demand. “We have enhanced the electrical grid by increasing the number of power stations, transmission lines and power supply networks. We trust this will greatly help in meeting the demand during the summer,” he said.
“The unfortunate power outage in the Safa neighborhood in Jeddah yesterday was caused by a contractor who was building a nearby tunnel and who cut a major supply cable by mistake. It was not because the temperature reached more than 50 degrees Celsius as reported by some local papers. We promptly sent a technical team to the site and fixed the problem. It took longer than usual because the damage to the cable was extensive,” he said.
“It is really frustrating to see how often contractors create problems for us by their mistakes which cause a disruption of power. The situation was bad in the last three months, but it was worse this month. Contractors doing work for other parties caused 972 instances of power failures, which affected about half a million subscribers,” he added.
“I really do not understand why this happens. We give them accurate maps showing the exact location of power cables,” he said.
“I can't say that there will be no more power outages in the coming period as a result of the overloading of electricity mains. Cooling and air conditioning equipment will be working full throttle because of the high temperatures,” he said.
“Therefore, I appeal to everybody to use power as prudently as possible, especially during this time. Power failures can occur for reasons other than high temperatures,” he explained.
He said the people of Jeddah should call 933 to report any failure, malfunction or complaints. “This number is available around the clock, because we seek to fix any problems promptly and in record time, within the established channels of the company. Some people say that no one answers the calls made to 933. I emphatically say that this is not true. Sometimes, when the lines are very busy, there may be a delay in answering a call. In that case, we give priority to urgent cases and emergencies. Other than that, your call will be answered 'pronto',” he said.
‘SEC prepared for power failures’
