Saudis, of all people, find industry hobbled by a lag in electricity.

Considers the irony that Saudi Arabia, an energy-rich country, is confronting a shortage of electricity. The occasional blackouts that part of the country experienced in 1995; Offices and homes in the capital, Riyadh, waiting for power hookups; Tight cash and accelerating demand for electricity complicating the solution of building more power plants; Why change comes slowly in Saudi Arabia.