THE Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) has successfully passed the biggest test for its capacity after the Kingdom registered a record peak load of 61,162 megawatts, surpassing the peak of last year with 666 megawatts, under high temperature rise that reached 50°C approximately in some areas. The company said in a statement that it was able at noon on Sunday, specifically at 2.30 pm, to pass the standard peak load successfully, noting that a new peak load was recorded in the Western Region for the current year of 2017 by (16560) megawatts, coinciding with a high rise in the temperature in both Makkah and Madinah regions and the beginning of the last 10 days of Ramadan. SEC stressed that the infrastructure of the electrical projects, the good and early preparations for the maintenance programs, and the implementation of new projects that have entered the service since the beginning of this year, have played a positive and effective role in strengthening the electrical system, improving efficiency and meeting the growing demand for electricity in the Kingdom. At the same time, the company praised efforts and achievements of more than 23,000 Saudi engineers and technicians qualified, trained at the highest international levels and have distinctive expertise, which enabled them to manage, maintain and operate the electrical system and leading of emergency operations, technical teams and customer services with high efficiency. The company said its generation capacity available has reached (74.3) gigawatts by the end of 2016, while the transmission and distribution networks reached about (70.3) thousand kilometers circular. More than 700 ultra-high voltage stations and more than 550,000 kilometers of distribution lines have contributed to the delivery of reliable and safe electricity service to about 500 thousand subscribers annually in about 13,000 cities, villages and residential communities. SEC has succeeded in improving the delivery time of electricity service to the new subscribers by 30%, while its technical and administrative cadres have succeeded in making a big leap in its operational capabilities and enhancing the reliability of the electrical service to more than 8.6 million subscribers in the Kingdom making SEC the largest electricity company in the Middle East and North Africa.
