DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF ELECTRICAL TRANSMISSION INFRASTRUCTURE THROUGH SMART GRID TECHNOLOGIES: A SAUDI VISION 2030 PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Electricity transmission networks are changing from being based on individual assets to becoming systems that can be observed digitally, are driven by data and are becoming more adaptive. This shift is particularly important for Saudi Arabia, since the rapid expansion of renewable energy, the great distances across the country, the emergence of new industrial loads and the aims set out in Vision 2030 all mean that the transmission system has to handle greater variability without compromising reliability. This review carefully brings together 30 peer-reviewed studies that were published between 2020 and 2025 in order to look at how smart grid technologies can help with the digital transformation of the transmission infrastructure. The evidence is grouped into five interrelated areas of capability: wide area observability and digital substations; high-performance communications and edge-cloud computing; artificial intelligence and advanced analytics; digital twins and condition-based asset management; and flexibility technologies backed by storage, demand response and grid-enhancing measures. The review concludes that value is not obtained simply by acquiring individual technologies; instead, the benefits come about through the use of interoperable data models, time-synchronized measurements, cyber-resilient communication, validated analytics, coordinated control and governance structures that enable reliable operational decisions to be made on the basis of data.