Saudi summer air conditioning demand soars

Blazing sun: A vacationer rides his bicycle at the beach in Saudi Arabia. The hot days of summer are fuelling electricity demand as Saudis stay at home due to Covid-19. — AP

DUBAI: As the Middle East enters the hottest days of summer, Saudi Arabia is set to burn potentially record amounts of crude oil to run its power plants and keep its citizens comfortably air-conditioned.

Electricity consumption always soars around July and August, when temperatures in the kingdom can rise above 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius). That compels the government to use crude or fuel oil in addition to the much cleaner natural gas that normally fires the plants.

But this year the urge to drain oil is even stronger because of higher demand, with the coronavirus pandemic forcing many Saudis to cancel their summer holidays abroad.