JEDDAH – Saudi Arabia's energy production capacity will reach around 87K megawatts in the year 2018 to meet the increased industrial growth that was last year higher than the growth national product (GNP). Sawary Energy Executive Vice President Sami Akeel stressed on the importance of the steps taken by the Saudi government to expand the industrial foundation of electrical equipment along the enormous projects being executed by the Kingdom. He also pointed to negotiations taking place with international companies in the electricity industry aiming to attract these companies to invest within the Kingdom and construct their own factories in the country. Akeel also stressed that energy provision is one of the basic parts of a sustainable development, ensuring that the private sector strives to create real opportunities in the specialized electricity industry in the Kingdom, thus coping with the continuous expansion and increasing the size of the projects current and future to be executed by the Saudi government. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is to invest over SR300 billion ($80 billion) in the electric power sector by the end of 2020, with the aim of increasing production capacity, development of transport networks and stations, and all associated systems,” Akeel added. The government is also working toward localizing the industry by attracting foreign investors to invest in the country and provide high quality national products. Adding to it the job opportunities created for the Saudi youth in the industrial sector. He noted = the keenness of the Saudi Electric Company to support the national products related to electrical industry by giving it the priority in its contracts. This has contributed in the growth of a number of local factories from 90 to reach over 150 specialized factories contributing in covering around 20 percent of the company's need. “This percentage is still low in relation to the company's needs in the coming period, as it has set a long term investment plan for SR320 billion ($85.3 billion), 70 percent of it represents the cost of devices and equipment, and electric missions, this made the company suggest to foreign investors to locally invest in the industry.” Sawary Energy is one of the leading companies in the power industry operating in Saudi Arabia for the past 40 years through its network of branches all over the Kingdom and is certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It has been also characterized by being a single platform for all power solutions which includes supplying and installing electric diesel generators, automatic and manual transfer switches, electrical distribution panels, automatic and manual parallel systems. — SG
