As the Kingdom’s demand for electrical power in the industrial and agricultural sectors of the economy grew, the Government replaced the old fragmented system of electrical power generation (provided by numerous small companies) with SCECOs – Saudi Consolidated Electricity Companies – each providing electricity for a whole region of the Kingdom.

The first SCECO (SCECO-East) was created in 1977, with a capital of SR 5 billion. This was followed in 1979 by SCECO-South, with a capital of SR 4 billion, serving more than 1,447 cities and villages and SCECO-Central, with a capital of SR 8 billion, serving more than 600 cities and villages, including Riyadh. Electricity for the southwest of the Kingdom was provided by SCECO-West, established in 1982, with a capital of SR 8 billion.