Residents of a Saudi province in the south of the country received financial compensations of up to 2,000 riyals, equivalent to 533 dollars, due to power outages affecting their homes between Friday and Saturday. Saudi media reported on Monday that "those affected by the power outage on Friday and Saturday in Sharurah province received text messages from the Saudi Electricity Company on Sunday apologizing and informing them of a financial compensation of up to 2,000 riyals (533.25 dollars) added to their accounts with the company."
Electricity was cut off for all consumers in the province on Friday, and the outage lasted until late the following day. The Saudi Electricity Regulatory Authority apologized to consumers for the service interruption in a statement on Sunday. The statement indicated that its Board of Directors directed "immediate communication with all consumers in Sharurah to apologize and notify them of the compensation amounts, while designating phone lines to receive any inquiries or complaints related to the incident."
The Board of Directors of the Saudi Electricity Company also promised in its apology statement to all consumers regarding the delay in restoring electrical service, and decided to initiate an urgent investigation under the supervision of the Electricity Regulatory Authority to determine the causes of the outage and identify any shortcomings or negligence that contributed to the delay in restoring service. It is worth noting that temperatures in Saudi Arabia are high during the summer, increasing reliance on electricity and the use of air conditioning systems in homes.
