The Saudi Electricity Co. (SEC) will have capital expenditure needs of nearly $ 10 billion next year, a senior executive said yesterday, and the utility may tap debt markets to raise some of the funds.

The Gulf's largest utility, the SEC has a SR 452 billion ($ 120.5 billion), 10-year investment plan as it speeds up delivery of its power projects to meet state infrastructure demands.

"Our capex requirement for 2013 is close to $ 10 billion, and the majority will be covered from internal sources," Manish Manchandya, a corporate finance executive at SEC, told Reuters on the sidelines of a treasury conference.

Manchandya said a projected gap of about $1 billion to $ 2 billion would be covered by government funding and other means, including possibly debt markets.

Manchandya said the SEC had no plans to tap debt markets this year, but stated: "In future, we plan to be an active player in capital markets both locally and internationally. The local market continues to be very liquid."

The SEC plans to spend around $35 billion on high voltage power lines, with another $25 billion spent on distribution networks over the next 10 years.

It has an installed capacity of 54,000 megawatts and will add around 4,000 MW over the next 12 months to help meet rising demand, with another 8,000 MW to be added in 2014.
Arab News
11 October