Riyadh – Mubasher: Saudi Arabia is looking to begin building nuclear-powered electricity plants in 2018, said Abdullah Al-Shehri, the governor of the Electricity and Cogeneration Regulatory Authority (ECRA).
There are many challenges facing the Saudi electricity sector industry, he told Al Hayah newspaper, indicating the speed of growth over the past few years, which requires new power-generating plants as well as electricity grids and better distribution.
The Saudi government has been committed to supporting this industry over the past few years; however, its support has not come regularly, the top official stated. Sometimes it is late in making payments or the funds are not sufficient, he added.
There is great opportunity for the private sector to invest in this field, ECRA’s top official stressed, noting that among the solutions that can bolster the Saudi electricity sector are raising efficiency, trimming consumption, and controlling power loads.
The Saudi electricity industry relies fully on non-renewable energy such as fossil fuels like oil and natural gas.
The trend now is to generate 9,500 megawatts of energy through renewable sources before 2023, the top official added.
