Problems with the distribution network are causing power cuts during the summer, but there are far fewer outages than there have been in previous years, said Engineer Ali Al-Barak, executive president of the Saudi Electricity Company. He said this year's 6,000-megawatt increase in power-generating capacity has helped reduce outages. “It should be understood that this year is 100 times better than the past years in term of power cuts,” Al-Barak said. “We hope that the situation will improve more in the upcoming years after the completion of large projects we are working on.” The company has a program for replacing the distribution networks that have faced an increase in loads, especially those in old districts in remote towns and governorates, he said. Residents in some areas complained earlier this summer that it can take too long to address power failures, but Al-Barak said, “The company promptly deals with any power cut anywhere and the cuts are now limited.” The company needs an estimated 4,500-megawatt increase in its power-generation capacity and it is building three power plants costing more than SR40 billion to meet the demand, Al-Barak said. The Saudi Electric Company said earlier this week that it has awarded contracts totaling SR14.7 billion to boost power generation capacity and that it plans to invest about SR300 billion in the next 10 years to add 20,000 megawatts of capacity. Saudi Electric Company has said the nation's power demand is rising eight percent annually and it is expected to continue increasing at that rate, according to published reports. This week several districts in Jeddah and many areas in Taif experienced power outages for hours. The residents of Al-Rabwa 5 and Al-Rabae districts in north Jeddah endured a 10-hour blackout from Sunday night to Monday morning, resulting in many having to make alternative arrangements to break their fast and for air-conditioned accommodation.
