Saudi Electricity to set up power generation subsidiary

Under the government’s reform drive solar power is viewed as a way to trim the amount of crude used to generate power at home. (File/AFP)
  • The company, the Gulf’s largest utility, said in a bourse filing on Monday that it called shareholders for a meeting on Dec. 18 “to vote on the establishment of a power generation subsidiary”
  • Saudi Arabia is embarking on a push to raise around $200 billion in the next several years through privatization programs in 16 sectors

RIYADH: Saudi Electricity Co. plans to establish a power generation subsidiary, pending shareholder approval, a step viewed by analysts as a sign the state-controlled power giant is pushing ahead with a long-awaited restructuring.
The company, the Gulf’s largest utility, said in a bourse filing on Monday that it called shareholders for a meeting on Dec. 18 “to vote on the establishment of a power generation subsidiary,” without giving further details.
The Public Investment Fund, the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, owns a 74 percent stake in Saudi Electricity. The other major shareholder is state oil giant Saudi Aramco