Nazaha says no corruption indicator in smart metering project indicators

Saudi Arabia’s National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha) said the measures taken by Saudi Electricity Co. (SEC) as regards the smart metering project were proved to be fair and came in line with the applied regulations in the Kingdom, stated Nazaha President, Mazen Al-Kahmous in a statement.

“The measures taken by the utility provider have no indicators of corruption; they helped boosting transparency practices as well as alluring more investments,” Al-Kahmous added.

The Gulf’s largest utility provider signed on Dec. 19 contracts related to the smart metering project for a total cost of SAR 9.56 billion. The project includes the installation and commissioning 10 million smart meters across the Kingdom.

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. Chief Executive officer Fahad Al-Sudairi said the selection criteria included the specifications of the meters and the Kingdom’s climate conditions, which differ from one country to another, adding that installing the smart meters will not increase the electricity bills; however, they will help rationalize the power consumption.