Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) has launched Independent Power Plants (IPP) program starting with three power plants in Rabigh, Riyadh and Qurayyah, which require an overall investment of around SR 21 Billion. The program is under implementation as part of the efforts exerted to expand the scope of SEC's business. As such, SEC has given the opportunity to investors as partners in the construction, management, and ownership of some of new electric energy generation projects required for meeting the ever increasing demand for electric energy. The launching of IPP culminated into the start of its three projects. The projects are the Rabigh power plant with a generation capacity of 1,200 megawatt (MW) of electricity. Its commercial operation date is specified as June 2012. The second project is Riyadh power plant with a generation capacity of 2,000 MW of electricity and is scheduled for completion in April 2012. The third project is Qurayyah power plant with an estimated capacity of 2,000 MW of electricity, set for commercial operation in April 2014, according to a report of the SEC.
