Saudi Gazette report

 

RIYADH — The Kingdom’s electricity and water desalination regulatory body has introduced a new set of rules that now bars the Saudi Electric Company (SEC) from cutting power off from a range of customers who fail to pay their electricity bills.



According to the Saudi Electricity and Cogeneration Regulatory Authority (ECRA) rules, the SEC is not allowed to disconnect electricity during the month of Ramadan, after 12 noon, outside official working hours and at any time of the year when schools, colleges and universities are holding examinations.



The SEC is also barred from disconnecting customers who have officially complained about their bills and whose complaints have not yet been looked into, homes in which there is a person with a medical condition that requires electricity, and customers whose outstanding debts are not due to electricity consumption.



The SEC has been given one Hijri year as a grace period to implement the rules and to ensure bills are in the names of actual consumers, regardless of whether they are property owners or tenants.



The ECRA has advised the SEC that those customers whose electricity is to be disconnected will have to be notified by telephone or SMS text messages at least 30 days before. Official national holidays are not counted within the 30 days. The SEC will only be allowed to disconnect customers who are in arrears of SR400 and above or when their bills are outstanding for six consecutive months. A further notification must also be provided four days ahead of the actual disconnection.



The new regulations also mean that new owners of properties or tenants would not be required to pay the outstanding bills of previous owners and tenants as bills would be connected to individuals rather than properties.

 

The regulations also outline that executive judges and the region’s administrative ruler are only able to ask the SEC to disconnect customers on production of an official letter detailing the reasons and the customer’s name, account number and subscription number.



Unless the word “immediately” is mentioned in the letter, the SEC is required to inform the customer who will have one week to challenge the directive.



The SEC also has the right to cut off electricity during emergencies, repairs and when people are at risk and property could be damaged. However, electricity will also only be disconnected during repairs planned in advance. The SEC also has the right to disconnect customers whose meters have been tampered with or unable to be read due to bad wiring or overloading.