Saudi Electricity opts for high-cost meters on climate conditions, says CEO

Saudi Electricity Co. (SEC) installed the three-phase smart meters at a total cost of SAR 9.56 billion, although the single-phase meters were 50% lower than the actual cost, CEO Fahad Al-Sudairi told Al-Arabiya TV.

“Our selection criteria included the specifications of the meters and the Kingdom’s climate conditions, which differ from one country to another,” added Al-Sudairi.

“Meters here have a life time of 15 years; we have implemented some updates on these meters to improve quality, and expenses were included in the contract value,” he indicated.

The smart meters will help reduce the energy input and output and generate electricity using the solar energy, Al-Sudairi explained, adding that a law in this regard is being studied.

“Installing the smart meter will not increase the electricity bills; however, they will help rationalize the power consumption,” he noted, highlighting that subscribers will not incur additional costs.

The Gulf’s largest utility provider on Dec. 19 signed contracts of the smart metering project to install and commission 10 million smart meters for consumers across the Kingdom for a total cost of SAR 9.56 billion, Argaam reported.