RIYADH: The Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) announced the establishment of a national company for the transmission of electricity. Its main function will be to operate the electricity system and transmit power on the high voltage networks between production plants and the major load centers Kingdom-wide. Dr. Abdullah Al-Shihri, Governor of the Electricity and Co-generation Regulatory Authority (ECRA), considered the establishment of the electricity transmission company as an important step toward achieving its plan for the development and restructuring of the electricity industry, in order to be competitive and prevent monopoly by separating electricity activities. He added that since the establishment of ECRA, it has strived to develop the plan to separate the activities of SEC - generation, transmission, distribution and providing the service - such that each activity will have one or several independent companies, though benefiting from each other's services. At the start, they will all be under the umbrella of SEC. Then they would be converted into independent companies. The new restructuring will contribute in creating wider investment opportunities in all power activities. He added that the establishment of a national company for power transmission would enable the private sector to enter in this field as a partner and competitor. Al-Shihri further said implementation of restructuring plan would boost the industrial advancement in the Kingdom and also attract foreign investments.
