JEDDAH — The Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) said people illegally tapping into the Kingdom's electricity grid were responsible for the recurring power cuts in certain areas of Jeddah. “Residents in the undeveloped districts of the city often have cables coming from their homes that are illegally connected to the city's electricity network,” reported an Arabic daily quoting the head of the Western Sector at the SEC, Abdul Maeen Al-Sheikh. “Some steal electricity meters from deserted buildings and hire technicians to install the stolen meters in their homes, a practice that often overloads the network and causes power cuts. Overloads may also occur when apartment buildings are turned into commercial businesses such as schools or hospitals without the SEC's consent,” added Al-Sheikh. He also attributed some of the power cuts to the ongoing projects in the city. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah Region, recently said that electricity was restored in record time to the city's neighborhoods as maintenance teams worked around the clock. Violators are dealt with in accordance with the law of the Protection of the Public Facilities. The SEC said it had made all necessary arrangements to meet demand during the peak summer season. However, despite this, power cuts were reported in Jeddah, Taif, Madinah and Riyadh. “Despite the new power generating stations entering into service, cuts frequently happen because of growing consumption,” said Al-Sheikh. — SG
