income Saudi families have so far benefited from the electricity subsidy program of the government since it was implemented about a year ago. The subsidy program for poor families, which included food allowance and payment of electricity bills, is being implemented and provided by the Ministry of Social Affairs. “The power subsidy program for low-income families, which is the payment of their monthly electricity bills, is intended to help the poor segment of our society and also to encourage people to conserve electricity,” said Dr. Abdullah Al-Shehri, Governor of the Electricity and Cogeneration Regulatory Authority (ECRA), speaking at the Water, Electricity and Power Generation Forum that concluded here Monday. He said the electricity subsidy program for low-income Saudi families is now being evaluated. The selection of families to be supported in the payments of electricity bills are based on the employment income of the family, the total number of family members, and the region where they are residing. “Evaluation of the subsidy program is necessary in order to determine up to how much of the monthly electricity bill the Ministry of Social Affairs will pay,” Al Shehri said. “The plan is to expand the coverage of the electricity bill subsidy across the country depending upon the result of the evaluation,” he added. While the government is determined to help out poor families pay their electricity bills, the government also wants the population to conserve electricity. Panelists in the power generation sector of the forum said effective conservation of power by improving the supply chain in the delivery of electricity and conservation awareness – through education and reduced consumption – are the key components in attaining affordable electricity. The Ministry of Social Affairs has earmarked SR103 million for food allowance for the month of Rajab (mid-June to mid-July), while SR30 million was set aside for payment of electricity bills. Payment of the food and electricity subsidies is given every month to the selected families.
