KEMA Labs Workshop with Gulf Utilities: Testing for Grid Reliability

KEMA Labs, the testing, inspection, and certification division of CESI, recently held a series of meetings and training sessions with key Gulf energy utilities in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait. The workshops were led by Muammer Levent Celikel, the regional leader for the Middle East and Africa, and focused on raising awareness and sharing best practices for ensuring the quality and performance of grid assets through independent testing and certification.

The main objectives of the workshops included increasing awareness among utilities about the importance of verifying the quality and performance of their grid assets, particularly regarding reliability, safety, and efficiency. Participants were introduced to best practices and standards for conducting independent testing and certification of power equipment, such as cables, transformers, switchgears, and accessories, in line with IEC and regional specifications.

During the sessions, KEMA Labs shared failure statistics from type testing, indicating that about 25% of test objects do not pass the type tests initially. This highlighted the importance of independent validation and quality assurance. The workshops also introduced the Type Test Certificates of Performance for various products used in transmission and distribution, warned about the risks of falsified reports in the market, and explained how to verify the authenticity of KEMA Labs reports and certificates.

KEMA Labs’ Quality Assurance approach was presented, aiming to support the performance of utilities and enhance the reliability and resilience of the power grid. This approach includes up-to-date, comprehensive, and customized specifications; equipment design review; factory assessment; independent testing and inspection; failure investigation; and condition-based assessment of primary assets in power supply networks.

The workshops were delivered by Shankar Subramany, Global Director of High-Power Laboratories, and Ricardo Martin, Senior Inspector in High Voltage Testing, Antonio Boccuni, Marketing and Strategic Tools Manager and Christensen Flemming, Senior Consultant who shared their expertise with the participants. Pierluigi Vicini, Managing Director of CESI Middle East, also provided insights on network reliability and engineering best practices.

The sessions were well received by the utilities, who expressed interest in further collaboration and learning opportunities with KEMA Labs. The workshops fostered constructive dialogues and exchanges of views, with utilities sharing their experiences with the operation, maintenance, and failure of equipment in the grid and discussing the challenges faced in improving reliability.