The Fifth Development Plan (1990-94) allocated 3.6 billion dollars for electricity, which was utilized to boost the country's power generation capacity. Between 1970 and 1992, this amount increased from 344 to 17,049 megawatts. Electricity produced at Saudi Arabia's 30 desalination plants accounts for 2,085 megawatts of total production capacity.

The Saudi Consolidated Electric Company (SCECO), reformed in 2000 as the Saudi Electric Company (SEC) with the merger of SCECO's regional organizations, helped to establish generating facilities, transmission and distribution systems and substations throughout the country. A long-term goal is to increase the capacity of steam stations and desalination plants to enable them to generate half of the electricity output.

With the rapid growth in population and industrialization, domestic electricity consumption has climbed steadily. In addition to establishing generation facilities, Saudi Arabia has built a massive electricity distribution network of 8,750 miles of transmission lines, 52,000 miles of distribution lines and 53,125 miles of service connections. The power network now extends to cities, towns and villages across the country. In the 21st century, this network is due to become part of the wider network of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations.