Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) has announced a plan to reduce its use of liquid fuels in electricity generation by almost 550,000 b/d through the switching of power plants to gas-fired operation. This could enable Saudi Arabia to eliminate direct crude burning, which, according to MEES calculations, averaged 520,000 b/d last year.
Saudi generators’ burning of crude that would otherwise bring in export revenues has long been a target for policy makers. At times, direct crude burn has reached 1mn b/d, particularly in the summer when air conditioning demand peaks (see graph). (CONTINUED - 496 WORDS)
