
Penalties for infractions of the Kingdom's Electricity Law have been greatly increased by changes made to the enforcement regulations by the Saudi Arabian Electricity Regulatory Authority.
Penalties for offenders now range from SR5,000 to SR100,000, contingent on the amperage capacity of the breaker.
There is an SR5,000 fine for tampering with a meter that is attached to a breaker that is 100 amps or less, and a maximum SR100,000 penalty for interfering with one that is over 400 amps.
A SR50,000 fine will be automatically applied for violations involving non-beneficiaries or non-meter account owners; this amount may be increased if the infringement is judged serious or has occurred more than twice, as determined by an authorized committee.
There are ten primary infractions, such as licensed entities failing to give needed information (up to SR100,000) and not following the authority's instructions when addressing complaints (SR20,000).
Additional infractions include failing to meet statutory deadlines for electricity services (SR2,000), failing to meet performance standards (SR50,000), and failing to comply with small-scale photovoltaic systems and electric car charging infrastructure (SR3,000).
In the event that a tampering incident results in lower consumption, the accountable party is required to pay for both the unrecorded electricity and repair costs.
If the meter is still in good condition, repairs for residential customers will cost between SR250 and SR1,150; if a replacement is required, the cost will be between SR1,150 and SR4,050. The range of fines for non-residential cases is SR1,150 to SR4,950 (with replacement) and SR300 to SR2,050 (no replacement).
Direct, unmetered connections to the national grid are the focus of a new clause. In such instances, violators are required to pay for grid repairs based on the diameter of the cable and cover the value of unregistered use. For residential connections, fines range from SR1,300 to SR17,000, while for non-residential connections, they range from SR1,700 to SR33,000.
Additionally, the authority established guidelines for service providers to follow in order to fix damage, delete infractions, and report cases for compensation claims. All legal processes pertaining to cost recovery and enforcement must be finished by providers.