**7.2 Role of the government in the electricity sector**

As a result of the continuous subsidy and generous support of the government for the electricity sector, the ministry has been able to accomplish many electrical projects in both urban and rural areas, resulting in electric services that can reach remote areas and sparsely populated areas, over rough roads and rugged terrain. In fact, electric services require large sums of money to finance, build, operate, safeguard, and sustain. Another important component that must be considered along with the continuous operation and maintenance expenditures is fuel costs. Therefore, constant maintenance measures ought to be implemented to ensure the level and continuity of the flow of electrical energy without fluctuation, decline, or interruption.

## *Reliability Evaluation of Power Systems DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.85571*

The expansion of the electricity sector during the last three decades has resulted in the many electricity companies throughout the Kingdom being integrated into what was known, for a short time, as "the Saudi Consolidated Electric Companies (SCECOs)." These companies later merged into a single more reliable, efficient, and less expensive company known as the "Saudi Electricity Company (SEC)." Moreover, some areas (Eastern and Central) have been linked via a tie-line in order to prepare for the integration of the entire Kingdom under a unified national network.

Experts and planners of electrical power systems find it economically and technically unfeasible to increase the electrical capabilities of electric power plants that are often isolated, dispersed, and distant. However, after the completion of the structures of these systems, the next and natural step, to achieve advantages and benefits, is to connect these electric power systems to each other through unified transmission networks. Undoubtedly, linking these power systems will both reduce the cost of construction and provide reserve and fuel, all while increasing the strength of the electrical system and maximizing its capability to meet current and future electric loads.
