Article 10 of the Saudi Electricity Law

It is not enough for a facility to buy a backup generator. This article imposes three obligations on the facilities named in Article 8 to make sure the backup source actually works when needed:

1. Fuel: providing the quantity of fuel needed to run the backup source of electric power, and deciding where it is stored.
2. Maintenance and operation: carrying out periodic maintenance on the backup source and running it, so as to ensure it is in working order when needed.
3. The environment: meeting the environmental requirements for the backup source issued by the competent body.

Who is covered? The facilities named in Article 8, including health facilities designated by decision of the Minister of Health in coordination with the Authority, vaccine warehouses, blood banks, the main sewage pumping and treatment stations of cities, main telecommunications stations and official radio and television stations, airports and important government buildings, factories and cold food warehouses designated by decision, atomic energy facilities, and others the Council designates.

The article does not state the quantity of fuel or the frequency of maintenance in figures. It ties them to the purpose: that the source is in working order when needed. The environmental requirements are issued by the competent body, and the text does not state their content.

Article 9 comes before it and defines emergency cases as incidents beyond the licensee's reasonable control that cause a partial or total outage. Article 11 follows and requires the distribution licensee to inspect backup sources periodically under a program the Authority approves.