The Saudi Electricity Company issued a statement clarifying the circumstances surrounding the sudden power outage that occurred during a match in the Saudi Professional League, held at Prince Mohammed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam. The temporary outage sparked widespread questions among fans and social media users, prompting the company to quickly issue a statement explaining the reasons and the efforts undertaken to restore service.
In a statement published on its official X platform, the company attributed the outage to a "momentary fault in an underground cable within the network supplying the site." It explained that this technical malfunction resulted in a limited and temporary power outage in parts of the stadium. The company confirmed that its automated protection and operating systems activated immediately, restoring full power service within three minutes, in accordance with the highest standards of readiness and reliability adopted in the management and operation of modern electrical networks.
General context and importance of sports infrastructure
This incident comes at a time when the sports sector in Saudi Arabia is experiencing a qualitative leap, in line with the goals of Vision 2030, which aims to enhance the Kingdom's position as a global sports destination. With the Roshan League attracting international stars and increasing international viewership, the efficiency of sports infrastructure, including the stability of logistical services such as electricity, is under greater scrutiny than ever before. Ensuring uninterrupted service continuity during major events not only reflects operational efficiency but is also a fundamental part of the Kingdom's organizational reputation, especially as it aspires to host major global sporting events such as the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
Expected impact and speed of response
Although a power outage during a major sporting event can cause organizational embarrassment, the Saudi Electricity Company's swift response and transparent explanation of the cause turned the situation into an opportunity to showcase the advanced and efficient network management systems in the Kingdom. Restoring service within just three minutes demonstrates the significant investments made in smart grid technologies and advanced protection systems capable of isolating faults and automatically repairing them. The company concluded its statement by apologizing for the unforeseen outage, emphasizing its ongoing commitment to maintaining the highest levels of service reliability and taking all necessary technical measures to enhance network reliability and minimize the recurrence of such incidents in the future.
