Article 4 of the Saudi Electricity Law
المادة 4 من نظام الكهرباء · الفصل الثاني: أحكام عامة
The article sets out the tasks of the Water and Electricity Regulatory Authority, including issuing regulations, performance standards and licensing rules, securing additional generation, deciding complaints, and approving licensees' plans.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
بناءً على السياسات والاستراتيجيات المعتمدة وفقاً للمادة (الثالثة) من النظام، تتولى الهيئة - بالإضافة إلى المهمات المنصوص عليها في تنظيمها- ما يلي:
1- إصدار اللوائح فيما يخص مهماتها، على أن تشمل ما يأتي:
أ- اللائحة التنفيذية للنظام.
ب- قواعد فنية وتشغيلية وإجرائية، ذات صلة بالنشاط الكهربائي.
ج- معايير الأداء التي يجب على المرخص له تحقيقها.
د- قواعد تحدد العلاقة بين المرخص لهم وبينهم وبين المستهلكين.
هـ- تصنيف أنواع نشاط الكهرباء، وتحديثها.
و- قواعد لازمة للرخص والإعفاءات والتصاريح، شاملة أسس حساب المقابل المالي لها.
2- اتخاذ الإجراءات الضرورية لضمان توفر مصادر إضافية لتوليد الكهرباء في حالة توقع حدوث نقص واضح في إمدادات الكهرباء، وذلك بناءً على ما تقتضيه المصلحة العامة، وإبلاغ الجهة المعنية بتلك الإجراءات.
3- اتخاذ الإجراءات اللازمة لإدارة نشاط الكهرباء في الحالات الضرورية التي تتطلب ذلك، وفقاً لأحكام النظام وبحسب القواعد والإجراءات والضوابط التي تضعها.
4- البت في الشكاوى المتعلقة بنشاط الكهرباء، التي تثيرها الأطراف المعنية.
5- اتخاذ الإجراءات اللازمة لتنفيذ أحكام النظام، واللوائح فيما يخص المهمات المنوطة بها.
6- مراقبة تنفيذ اللوائح والقواعد المتعلقة بالإدارة والمحاسبة والاستثمار التي يسير عليها المرخص له.
7- اعتماد وثائق وآليات التأهيل وطرح مشاريع النشاط الكهربائي، وفقاً للقواعد والإجراءات التي تضعها.
8- اعتماد الخطط التنفيذية التي يعدها المرخص له، وفقاً للخطة طويلة المدى المعتمدة من الوزارة.
9- العمل بالتنسيق مع الوزارة على التأكد من الاستخدام الأمثل لمصادر الطاقة بما يحقق العائد الأفضل للاقتصاد الوطني، ويشمل ذلك -دون حصر- الآتي:
أ- التزام المرخص له بتطبيق معايير رفع كفاءة توليد الكهرباء وفق ما تصدره الجهات ذات العلاقة.
ب- الأخذ في الحسبان المقاييس والمعايير المعتمدة لحماية البيئة.
ج- تشجيع مشاريع محطات توليد الكهرباء عالية الكفاءة، مع الأخذ في الحسبان جدواها الاقتصادية.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 4 explained in plain English
This article sets out what the Water and Electricity Regulatory Authority is responsible for, in addition to its tasks under its own organization, and on the basis of the policies and strategies approved under Article 3.
1- Issuing regulations, which include: the Implementing Regulations of the law, technical, operational and procedural rules, the performance standards a licensee must meet, the rules that define the relationship between licensees and between them and consumers, the classification of types of activity and its updating, and the rules on licenses, exemptions and permits and the basis for calculating their financial fees.
2- Operational and supervisory tasks:
- Ensuring that additional generation sources are available when a clear shortage in supplies is expected, according to the public interest, and notifying the relevant body.
- Managing the electricity activity in necessary cases in accordance with the law and the rules it sets.
- Deciding complaints about the electricity activity raised by the parties concerned.
- Taking what is needed to implement the law and the regulations, and monitoring the licensee's management, accounting and investment rules.
- Approving qualification documents and offering electricity activity projects, and approving the licensee's implementation plans in line with the long-term plan approved by the Ministry.
3- Optimal use of energy, in coordination with the Ministry, including but not limited to: the licensee's compliance with generation efficiency standards, observing environmental protection standards, and encouraging high-efficiency plants while taking their economic feasibility into account.
For the consumer, the most important points in the article are that the Authority decides complaints about the electricity activity, and that it sets the rules for the relationship between licensees and consumers and the performance standards. Article 5 then makes the Authority also the body that prepares the structural framework for the license and issues it.
Practical example
A shop in Riyadh suffers repeated, unexplained power outages, and the company has not responded to the owner's complaints. One of the Water and Electricity Regulatory Authority's tasks is to decide complaints about the electricity activity raised by the parties concerned, so the owner can submit his complaint to it.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 4 of the Saudi Electricity Law
Can I file a complaint against the electricity company with the regulatory authority?
One of the Authority's tasks is to decide complaints about the electricity activity raised by the parties concerned.
Who issues the Implementing Regulations of the Electricity Law?
The article provides that the regulations the Authority issues for its tasks include the Implementing Regulations of the law.
Who sets the performance standards for electricity companies?
The Authority issues the performance standards a licensee must meet.
Articles this article refers to
More articles on Functions of the Water and Electricity Regulatory Authority
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.