At a time when everyone was closing their doors and windows tightly to avoid the effects of the dust storm that hit Saudi Arabia recently, Saudi engineers and technicians were working on maintenance teams of the Saudi Electricity Company on damaged sites of air lines and electric transmission lines, some located in mountain and desert areas about hundreds of kilometers away from cities, villages and residential communities, Al-Hayat reported.

Fahd Al-Qahtani described the situation, where they had to work under severe conditions. He said, "We are always on standby for any emergency. The dust that hit several areas, especially as we know that those storms if strong may have a very serious impact on the transmission lines, and after receiving a report of occurring damage to the electrical grid in one of the sites, no matter how difficult, we rushed to those sites as fast as we could while committed to standards and procedures, especially since emergency work is not linked at a given time."

Al-Qahtani added, "The team consists of 100% Saudi engineers and technicians. They are highly trained cadres in performing dangerous tasks and climbing towers, repairing faults, removing damaged parts at very high distances, and connecting electric lines again with new cables and spare parts."

Sultan Al-Otaibi, while preparing to climb up one of the affected towers to conduct welding operations and connecting new cables, picks up a conversation from his colleague Al-Qahtani, stressing that despite the difficulties they face during their work in rugged and desert areas at different times of the night, they feel "very happy after the completion of the work and restoring the stability of the electrical network backed by strict procedures for electrical safety. This is our duty, and we are proud of what we do."

Hamoud Al-Ghobaini, senior vice president for communications and public relations, stated, "Over the past years, the company has succeeded in training and developing the capabilities of Saudi engineers and technicians to replace foreigners. The focus has been on hazardous tasks that require high level training."

He said that the percentage of job placement in the company, which has so far exceeded 91 percent, has not come from a vacuum, but as a result of great efforts and to make room for national talents and cadres that have proven their efficiency in all workplaces in the field of electric power industry.

Over the past years, Saudi engineers have successfully won prestigious awards following technical and scientific achievements, including the EPRI Institute Award for Electrical Power Research in the United States, an international award for innovative ideas in the field of power generation and the operation of gas turbines in the Creative Ideas Competition World Conference on Creative Ideas in Britain.

SOURCE : SAUDIGAZETTE