The Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) enjoys a comprehensive industrial base, with self-sufficiency in many hardware products and services, the company said on Tuesday. Some of the locally made products that the company is fully dependent on are medium- and low-voltage cabling, electricity poles, high-voltage transmission towers, and low-voltage transformers. The localization of electrical products is expected to press ahead over the next few years, especially now that the company has launched its Build & Employ National Abilities (BENA) program earlier this year. The company opened up more than a hundred highly viable investment opportunities in electrical industries over next five years, expected to attract SR25 billion in new investments. The company added that it will require BENA certification to ensure a minimum of local content from national manufacturers and service providers, pointing out that the certificate will increase the competitive edge that businesses will enjoy in winning SEC tenders. The BENA program, which the company had launched early in 2019, comprises of three initiatives that aim to encourage local manufacturing, the first of which aims to put in place policies and procedures to support and incentivize local manufacturers and contractors. The second initiative aims to promote policies and procedures that give an advantage to small and medium businesses, while the third initiative aims to identify investment opportunities in manufacturing and services. — SG
