King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, marked the beginning of the Electricity Rationalization Campaign by highlighting the Kingdom's investment in services and infrastructure and the need for responsible use of resources. In a speech read on his behalf by Abdullah Al-Hussayen, Minister of Electricity and Water, King Abdullah emphasized the need to rationalize electricity consumption and called on every individual to help make the campaign a success. The King's speech noted that the growing demand for power would require increased investment, but that the demand that should also be tempered through the rationalizing of consumption. The Kingdom will invest SR200 billion by the year 2015 to meet the growing demand coming notably from the industrial sector. The number of consumers is expected to climb to seven million by 2015, compared to the current figure of 5.2 million. “Meeting this increase means an increase in power supply from 32.000 megawatts to 54.000 megawatts,” Al-Hussain said. The annual increase in demand for power will rise to 6 percent per year due to rapid urban and economic growth in the Kingdom which, Al-Hussain said, would bring about the necessity for a reduction in consumption. Demand this year has been 10 percent higher than last year resulting in the frequent power cuts experienced over the summer in some areas. The shortage is expected to be resolved when the upgrading work being carried out on the electricity grids linking regions is complete. Al-Hussayen revealed in the speech that the 5-year rationalizing of consumption campaign would cost the government SR30,000 per year, while highlighting the connection of more than 3,000 villages to the national grid last year. The campaign sees the involvement of the Ministry of Culture and Information and other bodies in efforts to create public awareness of the importance of reducing power consumption. – Okaz __
