Article 9 of the Saudi Electricity Law
المادة 9 من نظام الكهرباء · الفصل الرابع: المصادر الاحتياطية للطاقة الكهربائية
The article defines the emergency cases in Article 8 as any incident beyond the reasonable control of the transmission or distribution licensee that causes an outage, and leaves the maximum outage duration to the regulations.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- يقصد بحالات الطوارئ المذكورة في المادة (الثامنة) من النظام، كل حادث يخرج عن نطاق السيطرة المعقولة للمرخص له بالنقل أو المرخص له بالتوزيع، وينتج عنه انقطاع في الكهرباء -جزئي أو كلي- سواء أكان ذلك لأسباب فنية أو غيرها.
2- يجب ألا تتجاوز مدة انقطاع الكهرباء المدة التي تحددها اللوائح.
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 9 explained in plain English
This article completes Article 8, which requires certain facilities to secure a backup power source with a capacity not less than the minimum needed in emergency cases. It contains two provisions:
First: the meaning of emergency cases. This is any incident that meets all of the following descriptions:
- It is beyond the reasonable control of the transmission licensee or the distribution licensee.
- It results in an outage of electricity, partial or total.
- Whether this is for technical or other reasons.
The definition is broad as to cause, but limited by the requirement that the incident be beyond the licensee's reasonable control. This explains the purpose of the backup source: that the sensitive facilities named in Article 8, such as health facilities, blood banks and sewage stations, can keep operating when electricity is cut off for reasons the licensee cannot control.
Second: the duration of the outage. The duration of an electricity outage must not exceed the period the regulations specify. The text does not state this period, so no particular figure should be assumed from it, and the regulations should be consulted.
Article 10 follows and sets out in detail the obligations of the facilities named in Article 8 concerning the backup source, including providing fuel, periodic maintenance and meeting environmental requirements.
Practical example
A severe sandstorm brought down transmission towers near Hail and cut electricity to whole neighborhoods. This incident is beyond the licensee's reasonable control and caused an outage, so it falls within the definition of emergency cases, and the facilities that are required to do so run on their backup sources.
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 9 of the Saudi Electricity Law
What is an emergency case under the Electricity Law?
Any incident beyond the reasonable control of the transmission or distribution licensee that results in a partial or total power outage, for technical or other reasons.
What is the maximum duration of a power outage?
The duration of an outage must not exceed the period the regulations specify. The law does not state this period.
Articles this article refers to
More articles on Backup Sources of Electric Power
- Article 8
The article requires specified facilities, such as health facilities, blood banks, sewage stations, telecommunications, airports and certain factories and cold stores, to secure a backup electricity source at their own expense.
يجب على المنشآت الآتية تأمين مصدر احتياطي للطاقة الكهربائية على نفقتها، لا تقل قدرته عن الحد الأدنى اللازم في حالات الطوارئ، وفق شروط كود البناء السعودي، وهي: 1
- Article 10
The article requires the facilities named in Article 8 to provide fuel for the backup source and decide where to store it, to maintain and run it periodically, and to meet the environmental requirements for it.
على المنشآت المذكورة في المادة (الثامنة) من النظام، الالتزام بما يأتي: 1- توفير كمية الوقود اللازمة لتشغيل المصدر الاحتياطي للطاقة الكهربائية، وتحديد موقع تخزين
- Article 11
The article requires the distribution licensee to inspect backup sources periodically under a program the Authority approves, and to keep a record of their locations and the bodies responsible, as the regulations specify.
على المرخص له بنشاط توزيع الطاقة الكهربائية القيام بالتفتيش الدوري -وفق برنامج يضعه المرخص له وتعتمده الهيئة- على المصادر الاحتياطية للطاقة الكهربائية لضمان الا
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.