Enel and Saudi Electricity Company to share best practices in power distribution

The two companies will share best practices and experiences to achieve best-in-class performance in distribution networks, promote grid digitisation and improve energy efficiency at customers’ premises

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 13-Jan-2017 — /EuropaWire/ — Enel S.p.A. and Saudi Arabian utility Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) have signed a Framework Agreement for cooperation in power distribution sector which will see the two companies work together to develop long-term strategic knowledge sharing regarding the latest network technologies. The agreement was signed in Riyadh by Livio Gallo, Enel’s Head of Global Infrastructure and Networks, and Ziyad M. Al-Shiha, SEC’s President and CEO.

“We are very pleased to lay the foundations for cooperation with an important partner in a sector as key as network digitisation, which plays a crucial role in the Group’s current strategic plan”, said Livio Gallo, Enel’s Head of Global Infrastructure and Networks. “Enel is a pioneer and global leader in smart technologies and the collaboration with SEC, the largest utility in the Middle East and North Africa, will help strengthen and further develop our capabilities in this field.”

“This agreement comes within the framework of SEC’s plans and initiatives to keep up with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 efforts to enhance the country’s electricity sector,” said Ziyad M.Al-Shiha, SEC’s President and CEO. “The cooperation agreement signed with Enel is in line with SEC’s programme to make Saudi Arabia a regional center and a major hub for distribution automation and smart grid solutions, including through strategic partnerships signed with international companies.”

Under the agreement, which has a duration of three years but could be extended if both parties agree to, Enel and SEC will enhance exchange of information, best practices and experiences in the distribution sector. More specifically, the two companies will share best practices and benchmarks to take distribution networks’ performance in areas like operation, efficiency and security to best-in-class levels, while also introducing a technology roadmap, aimed at digitising distribution grids and improving energy efficiency at customers’ premises. Enel and SEC will also jointly evaluate further areas of collaboration in the power distribution sector.

The management and supervision of any activities carried out under this agreement will be the responsibility of a Coordination Committee composed of six members, with each company appointing three representatives.

Enel is a global leader in the field of smart grid and digital network technologies, with digitisation one of the pillars of the Group’s 2017-2019 Strategic Plan presented in November.

SEC is the largest utility in the Middle East and North Africa, serving more than 8 million customers and distributing more than 280 GWh of energy each year.  SEC’s strategy is focused on implementing Saudi Arabian government policy for the development of the country’s electricity sector, with the objective of providing end-users with safe, reliable and cost-efficient supply, as well as promoting the implementation of a fully automated smart grid.

SOURCE: Enel Spa

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