Saudi power sector looks to save $855 million
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - Abdullah Husain, the Saudi Minister of Water and Electricity, unveiled a recently approved tariff for electricity that will apply for the government, commercial and industrial sectors.
This tariff will add $855 million a year to Saudi Electricity Company to cope with developing electricity sector challenges.
Al- Husain said that the cost of electricity in 90 of the industrial sector represents 1 of the total cost with the old tariff, and 3 of the total cost with the new tariff, noting that the main objective of the slides of the new tariff approved is to displace loads for peak times and ration energy consumption.
The electricity sector in Saudi Arabia is under considerable strain, including high growth rates that dramatically exceed the rest of the world, as the peak hours during the summer equate to consumption for the rest of the year. Regarding the utilization of the large surplus through the rest of the months, Al-Husain said a new study with the World Bank to take advantage of the connection lines and international export surplus, which are worth 3,000 megawatts MW to neighboring countries.
On the other hand, Al-Husain announced that there a planned desalination plant set up in Al Khafji, based on solar energy, that produces 30,000 cubic meters of water per day in its first stage, with the cooperation of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology.
The minister noted that the total capital investment required for the key activities of the electricity sector in Saudi Arabia from 2009 to 2108, covering the areas of generation, transmission and distribution, would amount to $88.2 billion. The generation sector will have more than $46.3 billion transmission will have $26.5 billion and distribution will have $15.4 billion.
Related News
Data Show Clean Power Increasing, Fossil Fuel Decreasing in California
SACRAMENTO - Data from the California Energy Commission (CEC) highlight California’s continued progress toward building a more resilient grid, achieving 100 percent clean electricity and meeting the state’s carbon neutrality goals.
Analysis of the state’s Total System Electric Generation report shows how California’s power mix has changed over the last decade. Since 2012:
Solar generation increased nearly twentyfold from 2,609 gigawatt-hours (GWh) to 48,950 GWh.
- Wind generation grew by 63 percent.
- Natural gas generation decreased 20 percent.
- Coal has been nearly phased-out of the power mix.
In addition to total utility generation, rooftop solar increased by 10 times generating 24,309 GWh of clean power in 2022.…
