State-owned Saudi Electric Company (SEC) has awarded the SAR9.5bn (US$2.5bn) of contracts for the installation of 10 million of smart meters across Saudi Arabia, of which 3.5 million of smart meters will be purchased from local manufacturers and one third of the project’s value will be sourced from local content. The smart meters roll out is scheduled to start in 2021 and to be achieved by the end of March 2023.
SEC awarded the installation contracts to Mobility (Etihad Etisalat) and Al- Fanar Construction consortium for the central and eastern operating areas of Saudi Arabia, and to China Electric Power Equipment and Technology (a wholly-owned subsidiary of State Grid Corporation of China, SGCC) for the western and southern operating areas of the country.
At the end of 2017, Saudi Arabia recorded 9.1 billion electricity customers spread out between the Western (3.2 billion), Central (2.9 billion), Eastern (1.6 billion) and the Southern (1.3 billion) regions. In 2015, Saudi Arabia committed to reduce primary consumption by 20% by 2030 as compared to a BAU scenario.