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VOL . 11 ISSUE 09 SEPTEMBER 2017

ESSENTIAL INSIGHTS FOR MIDDLE EAST WATER, GAS AND ELECTRICITY RICITY PRO PROFESSIONALS OFE FES SS SIO ION NA A ALS LS LS COVER FEATURE

UME talks with Claudio Facchin on what ABB is doing to fire up intelligent power grid infrastructures in the GCC

MAKING COAL SENSE Increasing coal power efficiency and flexibility in the energy mix p12

GOING NUCLEAR The GCC on the verge of making nuclear history p42

Download the free Utilities Middle East app and be the first to read the latest issue on your mobile devices.

DELIVERING POWER

How new electric power projects in the GCC are driving the market for substations p33

INDUSTRY UPDATE P5 | ANALYSIS P12 | COVER P24 | SPECIAL REPORT P33 | PRODUCTS P48

CONTENTS

View point Baset Asaba, Editor Email: baset.asaba@itp.com

Contents

September 2017 Volume 11 | Issue 09

24 PREVIEW

Embracing nuclear energy

BRIDGING THE GAP

It is now official. The UAE’s nuclear energy dream is set to become a reality soon. The Barakah nuclear power plant has now entered its final phase of construction. The $24.2bn four-reactor plant is expected to provide up to 25% of UAE’s electricity needs and also help save 12 million tonnes in carbon emissions every year.

Last year, Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), the body charged with overseeing the construction and operation of the new facility, inked a new operating support service agreement with Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP) whose technology — the Advanced Power Reactor 1400 (APR1400) — was chosen to power the Barakah plant.

The nuclear wave now seems to be sweeping over the region in the wake of Barakah’s feat. Saudi Arabia announced this year plans to build two nuclear reactors as part of its ambitious 10GW renewable energy rollout. Egypt is finalising plans for the $30bn Dabaa nuclear power plant with the help of Russia.

But why would a country blessed with such huge fossil fuel reserves pursue an ostensibly expensive venture? In fact, sceptics have argued that other forms of renewable energy such as solar, wind and geothermal energy offer a better, cheaper and safer alternative to fossil fuel dependence.

Besides the stringent licensing measures geared towards making Barakah the world’s model of a safe nuclear power plant, a look at the general economics of nuclear power generation makes it a competitive choice in the long run.

Nuclear power plants are expensive to build but relatively cheap to run. In many places, nuclear energy is competitive with fossil fuels as a means of electricity generation. Waste disposal and decommissioning costs are usually fully included in the operating costs. If the social, health and environmental costs of fossil fuels are also taken into account, the competitiveness of nuclear power is greatly improved.

Globally, nuclear power was never particularly popular to begin with, and public support in much of the world has declined significantly in the wake of the Japanese disaster. Despite these challenges, nuclear power enjoys several important economic advantages over competing technologies. It has a proven track record of large-scale baseload power generation as well as long plant lifetimes and there-

How ABB is enabling digital substations to counter disruptions from unpredictable power sources

fore it should remain part of the energy portfolio well into the future.

www.utilities-me.com

September 2017 / Utilities Middle East

3

CONTENTS

Most popular news stories on www.

05

Utilities-me.com itties-

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) and Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (Adwea) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for strategic water connections and the exchange of potable water

33

01

Saudi Arabia drives residential solar with new scheme

ALSO THIS MONTH

12 COAL POWER SENSE The power industry is starting to take another look at how coal can be run more efficiently and flexibly in future, as the Middle East gets increasingly drawn to the fuel as a viable energy source

17 KUWAIT SOLAR

Kuwait to issue a tender for the building of the estimated $1.2bn Dibdibah solar-power plant in the first quarter of 2018 as part of the country’s plans to produce 15% of power from renewables

42 12

17

As the construction of Barakah nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi enters its final phase, a recent site visit reveals the great promise that nuclear power holds for the region’s power needs REGULARS

05 UPDATES 12 ANALYSIS

24 BRIDGING THE GAP

How utilities in the region are now following the global trend in harnessing new digital technology and the Internet of Things (IoT) to build resilient grid networks

Ongoing electric power projects in the GCC continue to prop up the region’s substations market. Solutions providers are now broadening their portfolio of services to stay afloat in a competitive industry

42 A NUCLEAR FUTURE

19 REVERSE OSMOSIS Controlling scaling and fouling in reverse osmosis membranes. Dow Chemical demonstrates the use of water-soluble polymers as anti-scalants and dispersants in separation

33 DELIVERING POWER

17 CONTRACTS 24 COVER FEATURE 19

4 Utilities Middle East / September 2017

33 SPECIAL REPORT

02

FEWA launches electric car charger in Ajman FEWA has announced the launch of the first electric car charger at its customer service centre in Ajman

03

Jordan to have 12MWh solar storage system A solar farm in Jordan is poised to be equipped with the largest storage battery in the Middle East

50 FINAL WORD www.utilities-me.com

News

REGIONAL UPDATE // ESSENTIAL INSIGHTS FOR MIDDLE EAST WATER, GAS AND ELECTRICITY PROFESSIONALS

JOINT EFFORT Dubai and Abu Dhabi to boost water supply

UAE

Dubai, Abu Dhabi to enhance water interconnectivity Move is part of efforts by both DEWA and ADWEA to guarantee water security in the UAE

D

ubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA) last month signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for strategic water connections and the exchange of potable water in case of emergencies, or other purposes, between the emirates of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

This is part of broader efforts by both DEWA and ADWEA to ensure that water security is sustainable and to establish strategic water reserves in the UAE. The MoU supports the strategic objectives of the federal government of the UAE. The MoU was signed by Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, and Dr Saif Saleh Al Seiari, director general of ADWEA. “This agreement supports our joint efforts to www.utilities-me.com

promote water security in the UAE, and achieve the objectives of the National Agenda of the UAE Vision 2021 to ensure a sustainable environment and preserve water resources in the UAE,” pointed out Al Tayer.

“It also perfectly supports our strategy to enhance the efficiency of the water network by working together to achieve the strategic objectives of the Federal Government of the UAE and the recommendations of the UAE Water Security Strategy 2036. It helps to strengthen the cooperation between ADWEA and DEWA as this strategic national project will contribute to improving the reliability of water systems in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.”

Al Tayer noted that this strategic initiative began in 2007 when ADWEA and DEWA coordinated to study the possible options for water interconnection between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

This cooperation will help prevent crises and any water shortages.

The two government utilities will work to secure the needs for their ambitious development plans by increasing the efficiency and operational capacity of their water networks, to meet growing demand for their services. This, in turn, will contribute to the sustainable development of the UAE. DEWA and ADWEA will conduct a feasibility study for water interconnection between the two networks, including all available options and final recommendations regarding the best technical options. The two parties will agree on the consultancy services tender, list of bidders interested in participation, bids’ evaluation, and awarding the tender that will include the consultancy services for preparing studies and detailed designs for the connection points.

September 2017 / Utilities Middle East

5

NEWS

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia to regulate small-scale solar New rules will come into force next July 1 and cover small pv facilities of less than 2MW

Dubai water distribution project on track Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has completed 109km of the project to supply, extend and commission water distribution networks. The total is 162km, with 67.3 per cent of the project completed so far in different parts of Dubai, at a total cost of $57.2mn (Dh210mn), reported WAM. “The main objective of the project is to develop water distribution networks in Al Khawaneej 2, TechnoPark, and other new areas in Dubai, to improve operational efficiencies and increase the flow of water to meet the rapid growth in water in various parts of Dubai,” said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of DEWA. “The project includes 450- and 100-millimetrediameter extensions of Glass-Reinforced Epoxy main water pipelines to provide continuous and stable water supplies that are reliable, efficient, and always available, to achieve the happiness of customers and stakeholders.”

“The implementation of the project is going according to plan, and is expected to be complete by the end of 2017,” he said.

Saudi Arabia has issued a regulatory framework for electricity consumers to operate their own, small-scale solar power generating systems and export unused power to the national grid, the government said last month.

The rules will come into force next July 1 and cover small photovoltaic facilities with generating capacity of no

more than 2 megawatts, the Electricity and Cogeneration Regulatory Authority said.

Consumers will have their excess electricity offset against their future consumption and after a year they will receive cash payments at a tariff approved by the authority.

“What has been achieved is an essential step forward SOLAR towards the realisation of Driving resithe deployment of renewdential solar in able energy in the Kingdom Saudi Arabia of Saudi Arabia,” said Fayez alJabri, the authority’s directorgeneral of technical affairs.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, currently has few renewable energy facilities but has said

it aims to generate 9.5 gigawatts (GW) of electricity from such sources annually by 2023 through 60 projects, investing between $30bn and $50bn.

Solar energy is expected to lead the renewables drive. The energy ministry is drawing up an incentive programme to encourage both companies and households to generate their own solar power, but no timetable for its introduction has been set.

Seeking to save money in an era of cheap oil, the government raised ultra-low electricity tariffs for major industrial and residential users in early 2016. It initially planned another round of tariff hikes in mid-2017.

Wind-energy

Floating offshore wind farm nears completion Masdar announced its acquisition of a 25% stake in the wind project in January The fifth and final wind turbine for the Hywind Scotland commercialscale floating offshore wind farm, a joint project between Masdar and Statoil, has arrived at its final destination, Buchan Deep, 25km east of Peterhead in Scotland.

All five turbines were successfully assembled outside Stord, Norway and they have now completed their journey to Scottish waters. Each turbine took four days to be towed across the North Sea where, on arrival, work was immediately started to install anchor lines and perform hook-up operations, taking two to three days per turbine. Final installation is scheduled to be completed in the coming weeks.

Hywind Scotland, a $268.9mn project unveiled in late 2015, is a partnership between Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company and Nor-

6 Utilities Middle East / September 2017

way-based international energy company, Statoil. Masdar announced its acquisition of a 25% stake in the project at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in January. Statoil, the project’s lead operator, owns the remaining 75%.

“This demonstrates the enormous potential for delivering offshore wind energy in waters up to 1km deep, and represents the next stage in the evo-

lution of the offshore wind industry,” said Bader Al Lamki, executive director, Clean Energy at Masdar.

The 30MW wind farm will occupy 4km² of space in the North Sea which records average wind speeds of 10 metres per second. Upon completion later this year, the project will provide around 22,000 UK homes with renewable electricity.

WIND Floating offshore wind farm to boost power supply

www.utilities-me.com

NEWS

Solar

Rise in imported Chinese solar modules Emerging countries imported $1.8bn Chinese solar modules in Q1 as sales for diesel generators face steep decline More than half of all Chinese solar shipments in March this year went to India, while emerging countries alone now account for 60% of China’s PV exports, according to the latest Bloomberg New Energy Finance 3Q Frontier Power Market Outlook.

Emerging solar markets in South and East Asia, Latin America, subSaharan Africa and the Middle East imported $722mn worth of solar components from China in March this year – the highest amount ever in a single month.

More than half of that figure, $508mn, can be attributed to India, which has steadily increased its solar imports from China on a monthly basis all year: from $296mn in January to $464mn in

PV SOLAR More solar modules imported from China

February, accounting for 37% and 44% of all Chinese PV exports to emerging markets (non-OECD) respectively.

This data, which comes from the latest Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) 3Q Frontier Power Market Outlook, also reveals that emerging solar markets now account for more than 60% of all of China’s PV exports – a massive $1.8bn worth of solar PV equipment

over the first quarter of the year.

While India is the most demanding customer, Latin America and the Caribbean has stepped up its Chinese solar orders too, importing $215mn worth in Q1 this year, compared to $71mn in Q1 2016.

However, it is the relationship between China and India that is most striking from the data, and not just in trade: the two countries are also some of the most active investors in rural electrification and renewable projects in Africa, providing between them loans worth $189mn for PV and microgrid projects on the continent since April.

Data also shows a steep and encouraging decline in the amount of diesel generators sold in these frontier markets.

DEWA

DEWA completes 70% of M-Station expansion Since 2015, DEWA has been working with Siemens on the Jebel Ali M-Station expansion Over 70% of the ongoing expansion work at Dubai’s M-Station, the newest and largest electricity generation and water desalination plant in the UAE, has been completed, according to Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA).

The completed work includes pouring 45,000 cubic metres of concrete (96% complete), erecting 4,900 tonnes of structural steel and heavy metal work (75% complete), and 8.3 million safe man-hours without any injuries.

Since 2015, DEWA has been working with Siemens on the Jebel Ali M-Station expansion. The total cost of M-Station construction and expansion is $3.13bn. www.utilities-me.com

The station’s total capacity BOOST will reach 2,885MW when the DEWA to expansion project is comenhance power pleted in 2018. This includes and water the provision of new power capacity generating units, adding 700MW to the installed generation capacity of M-Station.

The expansion project includes rently 10,200MW of electricity and the addition of two dual-fuel gas tur- 470 million imperial gallons of desalbine generators, two heat-recov- inated water per day (MIGD).

M-Station is the newest and largery steam boilers, and a steam turbine that is 90% fuel efficient. This est electricity generation and water will increase the plant’s thermal effi- desalination plant in the UAE, with a ciency from 82.4% to 85.8%, which is current total capacity of 2,185MW of one of the highest thermal-efficiency electricity and 140 MIGD. The station adopts the highest levels of availabilrates in the world.

DEWA is aiming to build a robust ity, reliability, and efficiency, using infrastructure to enhance its total the most advanced technologies in production capacity, which is cur- the world.

Jordan to have 12MWh solar storage system A solar farm in Jordan is poised to be equipped with the largest storage battery in the Middle East. At 12 MWh and 4 MWac, the lithium-ion battery being installed by Al Badiya at a 12 MW solar plant in Al-Mafraq is far bigger than any current storage system in the region.

The battery will augment the solar plant’s 11 MWp expansion, and offer peak shaving capabilities to increase the stability of the local grid and enhance the solar plant’s output. A power purchase agreement (PPA) has been signed this week with Irbid District Electricity Company (IDECO), which is a local utility.

Al Badiya is a subsidiary of Philadelphia Solar, a Jordan-based developer of solar projects that made the single-axis tracking system installed onsite.

Final commissioning of the battery is scheduled for the fourth quarter of the year, according to Al Badiya Company.

Batteries capable of storing power at utility scale are expected to be as widespread in 12 years as rooftop solar panels are now, revolutionising the way consumers use energy.

September 2017 / Utilities Middle East

7

When there’s reliable power supply.

And you can hug a penguin in the desert.

That’s Ingenuity for life.

In the summer months, staying cool in the desert is vital. That’s why all year round, sustainable and reliable power supply is made available across the city. Keeping residents happy and a penguin’s home constantly below freezing. Siemens highly efficient technologies for power generation and related services, as well as for transmission and distribution, are giving everyone the energy they need to move forward.

That’s Ingenuity for life.

siemens.ae

NEWS

SWCC

SWCC seeks advice on desal privatisation Saudi Arabia has made privatisation of the water sector one of its priorities

FEWA launches electric car charger in Ajman The Federal Electricity and Water Authority, FEWA, has announced the launch of the first electric car charger at its customer service centre in Ajman, in co-operation with Green Parking.

Adnan Naseeb Salem, acting director-general of FEWA, stated that the authority had previously launched a key environmental initiative to establish a large number of charging stations for electric cars, as part of its efforts to implement programmes that will contribute to the UAE’s vision of achieving sustainable growth and solving its environmental and developmental challenges, as well as reducing its carbon footprint and the negative environmental effects of the unnecessary and inappropriate use of energy, by employing various forms of environmentally-friendly technologies.

The first stage of FEWA’s initiative will include establishing 50 charging stations in the north of the country, in co-operation with its partners in the government and private sector.

The charging stations will be equipped with fast chargers.

A number of banks have submitted bids to Saudi Arabia’s Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) to advise on the privatisation of its $7.2bn Ras Al Khair desalination and power plant, banking sources said, as the kingdom gears up for several state asset sales.

Mizuho, BNP Paribas and GIB Capital were among banks to have sub-

mitted bids to act as adviser on the plan, with sources saying that other banks were believed to have submitted bids too.

The government has made privatising the water sector one of its priorities as it embarks on a drive to raise money from state assets to reduce pressure on capital spending and transform the economy away from a reliWATER ance on oil revenue.

Desalination The Ras Al Khair desalinaplants to boost tion is capable of delivering water supply 1.025 billion m3 of desalinated water every day to Riyadh and several other areas once at full capacity.

Sources said the request for proposals for the deal went out

in June, with one of the sources saying other banks approached for the deal included Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), HSBC and Standard Chartered.

Officials last year outlined plans to privatise SWCC, which operates some 30 desalination plants.

It currently produces about 20 percent of the world’s desalinated water and is the second-largest power provider in the kingdom.

Demand for SWCC’s production is high in Saudi Arabia, which lacks surface water but surpasses the global average for water consumption per capita at roughly 300 litres per day. SWCC has also been pushing ahead with several new water and power projects.

Tabreed

Tabreed optimistic about future growth Utility upbeat following a recent tie up with French energy company Engie National Central Cooling Company (Tabreed) is looking to explore new business opportunities that will aid its future growth, a senior company official has said.

This follows a recent tie up between Tabreed and French energy company, Engie, which will hold controlling stake in the company.

“With Engie on board, we are truly moving in the direction of being a regional international player. Having a strong energy company as a shareholder fits our appetite for growth,” Tabreed CEO Jasim Husain Thabet told local media in UAE..

“Our focus will continue to be on the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] but I see us seriously exploring markets outside the GCC and closing on those if they make sense for us.”

The company in June announced

10 Utilities Middle East / September 2017

that global energy leader Engie would purchase 40% of its stake from Mubadala through the conversion of Mubadala’s Mandatory Convertible Bonds (MCBs) and transfer of 1.086 billion shares to Engie. The deal is valued at $762.9mn.

Thabet also said joining hands with Engie will be positive for the company financially as the French firm

has operations in more than seventy countries and is a key player in district cooling and heating in Europe.

“They [Engie] see an opportunity coming into Tabreed. I see it as a positive and [it] sends a strong message to the market. They are also key players when it comes to operational excellence and project financing,” said Thabet.

DISTRICT COOLING New projects driving up demand

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NEWS

Oman

Oman mulls north-south grid Interconnection could result in fuel savings due to improved dispatch coordination Oman could soon provide electric grid interconnection between various regions in the Sultanate should current proposals be implemented.

Oman is exploring the possibility of interconnecting its electricity network between Nizwa and Duqm, PDO’s concession areas, and the Dhofar Power System, reported Times of Oman.

The expected benefits from the proposed interconnection include fuel savings due to improved dispatch coordination among the power systems, access to areas with renewable energy potential, sharing of spinning reserves (reducing operating costs), and improved grid security, accord-

ing to a seven year-outlook report released by Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP).

Presently, the Sultanate has two main interconnected systems—the Main Interconnected System (MIS) and the Dhofar Power System.

PDO also has its own RESILIENT Plans could power network,

while governorates like Musandam have their own separate electricity networks.

The main interconnected system region extends throughout the governorates of Muscat and Buraimi, and most of the governorates of Al Batinah North, Al Batinah South, Al Dakhiliya, Al Sharqiyah North, Al Sharqiya South and Al Dhahirah, servboost grid ing more than 864,500 eleccapacity tricity customers.

OPWP, the sole procurer of electricity in the Sultanate, is exploring a prospective 400 kV interconnection between Nizwa, Duqm, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) and the Dhofar Power System.

Saudi Arabia

WEC invites bids to build, operate desal plant Project to produce 600,000 to 1.2 million cubic meters of potable water per day Saudi Arabia’s Water and Electricity Co. (WEC) has invited expressions of interest in a project to develop a reverse osmosis desalination plant in Rabigh, according to a tender posted on its website last month.

The project, to be located about 150 km north of Jeddah, the kingdom’s second-biggest city, will produce 600,000 to 1.2 million m3 of potable water per day. Power supply will be provided from the high voltage network. The deadline for parties to show their interest was last month, according to a report byReuters.

The mainly state-owned WEC is offering a 25-year concession to the winning developer or consortium to sell the plant’s output under a water purchase agreement (WPA) with the Saudi government.

WEC was established in 2003 to www.utilities-me.com

sell water and electricity to the stateowned Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) and state-controlled Saudi Electricity Company (SEC).

Banque Saudi Fransi is financial adviser, DLA Piper Middle East is legal adviser and Fichtner GmbH & Co. KG is technical adviser for the project.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s National Water Co. (NWC) is also seeking finan-

DESALINATION

New project to boost Saudi water capacity

cial advisers to help it arrange the sale of parts of the country’s water distribution network.

NWC could raise several billion dollars from the process, depending on how big a stake it sells or whether it decides to break up the system and sell it to multiple parties, the people said, asking not to be identified as the information is prvate.

FEWA to boost water production with new projects The UAE’s Federal Electricity and Water Authority (FEWA) has announced plans to increase the availability of water through independent water production (IWP) or seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) projects.

In alignment with its strategic objectives, FEWA previously qualified 13 consortia to bid for the construction of a reverse osmosis desalination plant in Umm Al Quwain with a capacity of 45 million gallons per day, said a WAM news agency report.

It will also bid to increase the capacity of the Ghalilah plant from 15 million to 45 million gallons per day and will construct a desalination plant in Al Zawra, Ajman, with a total capacity of 30 million gallons per day, it said.

FEWA plans to study opportunities to export some volume of water at competitive prices as the new plants come onstream with capacities reaching up to 250 million gallons per day, the report added.

FEWA provides electricity and potable water for the population of the Northern Emirates of the UAE.

September 2017 / Utilities Middle East

11

NEWS ANALYSIS

MAKING SENSE OF COAL POWER The power industry is starting to take another look at how coal can be run more efficiently and flexibly in future, as the Middle East gets increasingly drawn to the fuel as a viable energy source for its power hungry economies. But just how sustainable is clean coal power generation in the long run?

R

ecent policy progress concerning emissions and pollution has forced countries in the Middle East to reassess the role of coal in their energy development strategies. While this is paving the way for more renewable-energy power generation, the pressure to add energy capacity quickly has been driving regional governments to look at coal as part of their efforts to diversify the energy mix and enhance energy security.

A closer look at the developments in the region reveals that coal is far from being phased

12 Utilities Middle East / September 2017

out, despite the ongoing war against it under the weight of a broad range of regulations, and under competitive pressure from natural gas and renewables.

The GCC, endowed with vast oil and gas resources is charging ahead with plans to introduce coal into its future energy mix along high renewable energy targets.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has said that it is planning to launch two additional projects that will bring the total capacity of clean coal to 3600 MW by 2030. By that time

clean coal will account for 7% of the energy mix, with another 7% coming from nuclear power imported from Abu Dhabi’s 5600-MW Barakah Nuclear Power Plant complex. A further 15% is due to be supplied by solar energy, with the contribution of gas falling from 100% in 2013 to 71% in 2030.

In October 2015 Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) announced the preferred bidders for the Hassyan clean coal generation facility, the first phase of which will have a generation capacity of 2400 MW. The plant will be www.utilities-me.com

NEWS ANALYSIS

the first coal-fired power station of its kind in the Middle East.

Some countries in the Arabian Peninsula already import coal for industrial production, motivated by the limited gas supply and the need to provide reliable supply of fuel for electricity generation. In the UAE, Fujairah Cement operates a 40MW coal-fired power plant to support its production, and other cement plants currently use imported coal to produce clinker, as reported in McCloskey Newswire (2015). Yemen and Kuwait also use small quantities of imported coal for cement production.

Coal has so far been mainly imported from

3600MW Total expected capacity of Dubai’s clean coal plant www.utilities-me.com

South Africa and Indonesia, with small quantities of the fuel also sourced from Australia.

Some industry analysts have argued that it is not economically viable for local utilities to invest in coal-fired steam capacity and to import coal when the domestic prices of other fuels remain fixed at today’s levels.

They also argue that global environmental concerns have diminished coal’s appeal as a source of energy, citing its gradual decline in the global energy mix.

But this argument doesn’t seem to sit well with proponents of coal, most of them renowned solutions providers, who believe that coal still holds an indispensable position in the power generation industry.

“In the wake of COP21, all signatory governments are making efforts to lower the environmental footprint of their power generation,” says Sacha Parneix, regional sales managing director for Middle East North African and Turkey (MENAT), GE Power.

“The call for energy source diversification is also growing louder every other day. There is need for GCC countries to lessen their dependence on oil and natural gas to guarantee sustainable development. I think adding coal to their energy mix is a very important step.

“The move may not deliver immediate results given the competitiveness of other fossil fuels that are cheaply and readily available in the region, and also due to the heavy investments in renewable energy. But I am quite certain that in the long run, this initiative will eventually deliver

The call for energy source diversification is also growing louder. There is need for GCC countries to lessen their dependence on oil and natural gas to guarantee sustainable development.” Sacha Parneix, GE Power

the desired results,” says Parneix who is very optimistic about the future of coal in the region.

Hassyan will be operated and maintained by ACWA and Harbin in partnership with Alstom Power, recently acquired by GE and NRG Energy of the US. The coal-handling and trans-shipment facilities will be managed by Louis Dreyfus, a major European specialist company.

France’s EDF Trading, one of the world’s largest coal traders, will manage the coal supply to the plant. By 2030, clean coal is expected to account for 7% of the energy mix.

Detractors of coal are sceptical about its future, more so in a region that is increasingly inclined towards renewable energy, and question the logic behind investing in an energy source that is gradually falling out of favour with many countries.

But Parneix believes that all technologies within the energy mix are not meant to compete against each other, but rather complement one another. “I do not believe that tomorrow there will be one technology winning. Renewable energy is becoming competitive and affordable.

September 2017 / Utilities Middle East

13

NEWS ANALYSIS

5.6GW Estimated total capacity of Barakah nuclear power plant in UAE

EFFICIENT PLANT The Hassyan clean coal plant is being designed to use GE’s ultra-supercritical (USC) technology

There is need to stabilise the grid. So, conventional power supply has the ability to guarantee stable supply and prevent intermittency.”

Sacha Parneix, GE Power But it has some weak points and intermittency is one of them,” says Parneix.

“There is no guaranteed continuous supply of wind or water, even the sun. A crunch in any of these sources affects power output. So there is need to stabilise the grid. So, conventional power supply has the ability to guarantee stable supply and prevent intermittency.”

Today, coal supplies nearly 30% of global

14 Utilities Middle East / September 2017

energy consumption, its highest share since 1970, and provides 40% of the world’s electricity.

While this number is expected to drop to 30% by 2040 (34% in America), coal will remain the backbone of the power systems in many countries, despite new capacity coming from natural gas and renewables.

In Southeast Asia, for example, where energy demand is projected to spike by 80%, coal will

become the single largest energy source in the region’s energy mix, owing to its abundance and relative affordability.

However, coal as a source of power has over the years come under intense reproach as unclean and harmful to the environment, and this has to a large extent informed the decision behind the ongoing closure of coal plants around the world.

In fact last year, JP Morgan joined a growing list of US financial giants including Bank of America, Citigroup Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo, that have pledged to stop or scale-back support for coal projects citing environmental concerns.

But new technologies developed over recent years are already showing results that render void this kind of criticism. To be precise, the current technologies are able to lower the environmental footprint of a coal power plant to the level of gas power plants, widely considered to be clean enough.

“The flue gas can be captured and cleaned out completely in a coal power plant. For example the Hassyan clean coal plant, where GE is the EPC contractor, is lower in flue gas than gas turbines that have been running for the past twenty years,” says Parneix.

The Hassyan clean coal plant is being designed to use GE’s ultra-supercritical (USC) technology which has already scored a world record 47.5% net thermal efficiency while producing 912MW at the Rheinhafen-Dampfkraftwerk (RDK8) electrical generation facility in Germany.

As far as the global pollution and global warming, the technology being used today produces 34% less CO2 than the world average. So there is a big potential in as far as technology and efficiency is concerned in pushing down CO2 levels, according to GE. “I am not aware of an operating plant that we have tested or that of our competition that beats the RDK 8,” says Martin Boller, general manager of Rotating Equipment, GE Power. “This is a benchmark — the highest thermal efficiency we have yet seen for a coal plant. It is really sky-high.”

“The Hassyan clean coal power plant will use the best available technologies and the highest global standards in this field. Flue gas emission targets for the power station will be more www.utilities-me.com

NEWS ANALYSIS

beats the RDK 8,” says Martin Boller, general manager of Rotating Equipment, GE Power.

“This is a benchmark — the highest thermal efficiency we have yet seen for a coal plant. It is really sky-high.”

“The Hassyan clean coal power plant will use the best available technologies and the highest global standards in this field. Flue gas emission targets for the power station will be more stringent that those imposed in both EU and International Finance Corporation guidelines,” says DEWA’s managing director and CEO, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer.

The USC technology at Hassyan is being fitted by GE, and consists of a boiler and steam turbine generator with a dual fuel capability able to use either sub-bituminous coal or natural gas. It will also use environmental control systems such as electrostatic precipitators and seawater flue gas desulphurisation systems to keep emissions of nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides at half the level permitted in the EU, making it one of the cleanest coal power stations in the world. In order to meet Dubai’s strict requirements the plant will also be CO2capture ready.

GE technology also allows the plant to run at higher steam pressure and temperature than www.utilities-me.com

regular coal-fired plants, which increases efficiency and reduces stack emissions. At a cost of $3.4bn, the plant will produce enough electricity to power 250,000 homes in Dubai.

The GCC is participating in the development of CCS technologies with the Uthmaniyah project in Saudi Arabia and the Abu Dhabi CCS project in the UAE. In both of these cases, carbon is captured and used for enhanced oil recovery.

Successful development of this technology can help significantly reduce the impact of carbon emissions from coal and could help public acceptance of the construction of coalfired power plants in the region.

“What the Hassyan coal plant is using is cutting-edge technology. What is new is the use of

The flue gas can be captured and cleaned out completely in a coal power plant.

The Hassyan clean coal plant is lower in flue gas than gas turbines that have been running for the past twenty years.” Sacha Parneix, GE Power

all new technology in a single plant, and this will make this plant cleaner than what we have seen before,” says Parneix.

Analysts believe that, in principle, coal-fired plants could still have a role in meeting residual demand if they can be made sufficiently flexible and appropriately compensated. But to do this, they will need to achieve increased turndowns, faster and less damaging startups, faster load changes and reserve shutdowns at minimal cost, as the coal industry board acknowledges.

Much of the current flexibility has come from older, smaller and less-efficient subcritical plants. More modern coal plants are designed to maximise efficiency by making them larger and employing supercritical and ultra-supercritical steam cycle systems. But that has also made them harder to run in a flexible mode.

The proposed new generation of super-efficient and greenhouse-friendly integrated gasification and combined cycle (IGCC) and oxycombustion coal plants fitted with carbon capture and storage (CCS) are likely to be even less flexible, if they are ever built.

In IGCC and oxy-combustion plants, gasifiers, boilers, turbines, air separation units and September 2017 / Utilities Middle East

15

NEWS ANALYSIS

SACHA PARNEIX, regional sales managing director for Middle East North African and Turkey (MENAT), GE Power.

oxy-combustion coal plants fitted with carbon capture and storage (CCS) are likely to be even less flexible, if they are ever built.

In IGCC and oxy-combustion plants, gasifiers, boilers, turbines, air separation units and the carbon capture system must all be made to work smoothly together. It may not be possible to turn down one sub-system without disrupting the efficient operation of the others.

Industry experts also think that new coal plants may need changes, starting early in the design phase, to enable them to operate in a more flexible mode. Currently, the requirement for flexible operation conflicts with other trends such as the need for increased efficiency and for carbon capture to reduce emissions.

Power plant designers and operators need to focus on flexibility for coal-fired generation to have a future in a power grid with a large share of renewables, say analysts.

That perhaps explains why GE is already treating the existing coal fleet which is big, very old and emitting high levels of CO2.

“The existing fleet is enormous. If we could reduce the impact of the existing fleet by even 3% on global warming, the results are much better than preventing a country to access a viable source of energy to support the economy,” says Parneix.

The Gulf region is participating in the development of CCS technologies with the Uthmaniyah

16 Utilities Middle East / September 2017

What the Hassyan coal plant is using is cutting-edge technology. What is new is the use of all new technology in a single plant, and it is what will make this plant cleaner.”

Sacha Parneix, GE Power

project in Saudi Arabia and the Abu Dhabi CCS project in the UAE. In both of these cases, carbon is captured and used for enhanced oil recovery.

Successful development of this technology can help significantly reduce the impact of carbon emissions from coal and could help public acceptance of the construction of coal-fired power plants in the region.

However, some analysts are of the view that coal might not play a significant role in the Middle East’s energy mix, despite a growing interest in the fuel. “In fact, coal is likely to only play a marginal role in the future of the region’s power sector. Its part in governments’ strategies to tackle demand growth has been marginal, and, with the exception of Morocco, coal is not usually relied on for power generation,” says Ghassan Alakwaa, energy research analyst at APICORP.

Alakwaa, however, points out coal’s cost effectiveness as an inherent advantage in adopting it as a power source. He says that while coal projects, and particularly clean coal, require substantial upfront capital, they exhibit lower operational and fuel costs over their lifetime, which typically is over 40 years.

“In comparison to the upfront capital cost of nuclear projects, coal is more cost competitive, and is on a level playing field with gas-fired plants. Investment decisions are therefore heavily dependent on the availability of finance, government support, and coal supplies. Operationally speaking, it is noteworthy that coal can also be competitive against other sources of baseload power,” says Alakwaa.

It is clear that rapid economic growth and urbanisation in the Middle East will continue to pile more pressure on existing power supply installations, and governments are investing heavily to add new capacity, with coal gradually coming up as a viable option.

The Egyptian government recently announced preliminary plans for four coal-fired power projects totalling 15.6GW of generation capacity to tackle power shortages. These projects aim to use coal for 20% of the electricity generation, which would reduce dependence on oil and gas and lower electricity generation costs.

With its constrained supply of natural gas, Saudi Arabia is looking to adopt alternative fuels and technologies to mitigate the growing use of crude oil and oil products in industrial sectors. Besides its heavy investments on renewable energy, the Kingdom is now considering the addition of coal to its energy mix. Oman has also renewed its interest in coal.

But how will this growing interest in coal be justifiably sustained amidst European antipathy towards the fuel? The answer lies in increased efficiency, says Parneix. And this can only be achieved through further technological research aimed at raising efficiency levels.

He says that the recent development of Advanced Ultra Supercritical (AUSC) technology is already pushing efficiency levels to a new high.

The technology is capable of driving a coal plant’s efficiency to nearly 50%.

AUSC boilers have been designed and developed to operate at very high pressures and temperatures to meet both the environmental and energy efficiency challenges. Steam cycle efficiency has been improved, meaning that for a given electrical output there will be less consumption of fuel (coal) and less release of carbon dioxide. www.utilities-me.com

Contracts THE LATEST NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW ON THE GCC & IRAQ TENDERS, CONTRACT WINS AND PROJECTS UNDERWAY

KUWAIT

Utility scale pv solar taking root in Kuwait

Kuwait to tender $1.2bn solar project in 2018 The Dibdibah solar project will produce half of the country’s planned renewable energy output

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uwait is looking to issue a tender for the building of the estimated $1.2bn Dibdibah solar-power plant in the first quarter of 2018 as part of the country’s plans to produce 15% of power from renewable energy by 2030.

OPEC’s fifth-biggest oil producer set a September 7 deadline for companies to express interest in the 1GW (gigawatt) project, Shukri AbdulAziz AlMahrous, deputy chief executive officer of planning and finance at Kuwait National Petroleum Co., said in an interview at the company’s headquarters south of Kuwait City.

The cost will be about $1.2bn, he said. Dibdibah will produce half of the country’s planned renewable energy output, he said.

Building solar plants is part of government efforts to help the environment while benefiting from increased production of petrochemicals and refined products. Kuwait pumped 2.7 million barrels of crude a day in July, less than Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran and the UAE, according to data compiled

by Bloomberg.

ACWA

SIEMENS

ACWA wins three Solar PV projects Projects to power 80,000 houses in Egypt while saving around 156,000 tonnes of CO2 a year Saudi Arabia headquartered power developer, ACWA Power, has signed a Power Purchase Agreement with the Government of Egypt for three solar photovoltaic (pv) power plants in Benban under Round 2 of the Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) programme.

The projects, which are located in the Aswan Province in Benban, will individually generate 67.5MWp, 70MWp and 28MWp, and have an investment value of about $190mn. The projects are expected to achieve financial close and commence construction by Q4 2017.

Once the projects start operations in 2018, they will power 80,000 houses while saving around 156,000 tonnes of CO2 a year. www.utilities-me.com

“By freeing up the resources, the crude and fuel oil, you can process them and have a highly valued product,” Al-Mahrous told Bloomberg. “Everything you don’t use has value for the country.”

The 32-square-kilometer (12.3-square-mile) plant, which should be completed by the end of 2020 in Kuwait’s northwest, will save burning 5.2 million barrels of oil a year and reduce carbon emissions by 1.3 million tonnes annually, Al-Mahrous said.

The Egyptian government has set a target of 20% of its energy generation from renewable sources by 2022. The feed-in tariff programme aims to secure an initial generation of 2,000MW of solar capacity and 2,000MW of wind capacity.

Solar projects to boost electric capacity in Egypt

Siemens to build substations in Egypt Substations to transmit electricity from the Burullus power plant

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n a new move aimed at improving the resilience of Egypt’s power grid, the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) has awarded Siemens a contract for the construction of two substations.

These will be used to transmit electricity from the Burullus power plant, set to become the world’s largest combined cycle station, to the population.

When completed the Burullus plant, located at Kaft El Sheikh Governorate, will supply up to 15 million Egyptians with reliable electricity.

The two new substations will enable power delivery to Egyptian homes and industries.

September 2017 / Utilities Middle East

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CONTRACTS

MASDAR

SPECIAL REPORT

Masdar signs EPC contract for Oman wind farm

UME to feature Special Report on utility cables

The Dhofar Wind power project is a result of the joint development agreement that was established in 2014 between Masdar and RAECO

An essential guide for all suppliers of efficiency solutions looking to make an impact in the GCC utilities sector

Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company, has signed a contract with an international consortium for engineering, procurement and construction of the 50MW Dhofar Wind Power Project in Oman.

GE will lead the consortium, which includes Spain’s TSK, which will build 13 turbines. The project, which will offset 110,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions, is the result of a joint development agreement between Masdar and the Rural Areas Electricity Company of Oman.

The Dhofar Wind Power Project is a result of the joint development agreement that was established in 2014 between Masdar and the Rural Areas Electricity Company of Oman (RAECO). Funding for the wind farm is provided by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), a leading national entity supporting global socio-economic development initiatives.

The 50MW wind farm takes its name from the southern Omani governorate bordering Yemen, the largest of the Sultanate’s 11 governorates, and will electrify an estimated 16,000 homes and offset 110,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year.

“Oman has immense untapped potential in renewable energy, particularly in solar and wind. Masdar is proud to be supporting the historically close ties between the UAE and the Sultanate by providing our experience and expertise from delivering cutting-edge renewable energy solutions across the world,” said Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief executive officer, Masdar.

DEWA

DEWA awards $35mn deal for transformers Move to boost capacity, efficiency and reliability of electric distribution Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has awarded contracts with Dh129.55mn ($35mn) for 1,570 transformers in a move to expand the electricity distribution network, and world-class standards in its services.

“Dewa is actively implementing vital projects. Dewa is one of the most outstanding service-institutions in the world, according to standard comparisons with its counterparts in developed countries.

Dewa has made great achievements in the efficiency, reliability, sustainability, and management of its optimal-investment infrastructure, as well as the operation of its networks. Dewa focuses on availability, reliability and efficiency in all its services,

18 Utilities Middle East / September 2017

and is proactively developing and improving all its processes to achieve excellence in everything it does,” said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dewa.

“These transformers will increase the capacity, efficiency and reliability of the electricity distribution network in Dubai, Transformers to enhance power supply

GCC countries’ power consumption is driven largely by home use, with almost 47% of the energy consumption siphoned into residential use as compared to a global average of around 25% The per capita electricity demand in the GCC countries is expected to increase at a faster rate than their counterparts in the US. According to the ‘2010 International Energy Outlook’ issued by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), the per capita electricity consumption during the period 2007-2035 in the GCC is likely to increase at an annual rate of 2.5% , with a large part of this rate attributed to a growing population, as opposed to 0.8% in the US. Given this scenario, UME examines in its Special Report for the month of October the energy efficiency policies and measures being implemented in the GCC as well as the business opportunities presented by these initiatives.

to ensure a continuous and stable supply of power to all stakeholders. All the transformers will be delivered by April 2018,” added Al Tayer.

DEWA has also announced plans to build 97 new 132/11kV substations. The substations will developed during the course of the next three years at a total projected cost of $2.72bn.

As of the end of 2016, DEWA had established a total of 222 132/11kV main substations in Dubai. 16 of these facilities were commissioned last year at a total cost of $540mn.

“We have started building new stations in Hassyan, and at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, in addition to Jebel Ali and Al Aweer,” said Al Tayer.

“We intend to launch new projects to enhance the efficiency of our electricity transmission networks, with an allocated investment of $272mn.” www.utilities-me.com

INDUSTRY FEATURE

DRIVING EFFECTIVE RO Controlling scaling and fouling in reverse osmosis membranes is a technique that is growing in popularity. Somil Mehta and Alain Dufour of Dow Chemical demonstrate the use of watersoluble polymers as anti-scalants and dispersants in separation applications

REVERSE OSMOSIS RO use is growing steadily in various applications

A

s the need for pure water continues to rise around the globe, Reverse Osmosis (RO) in desalination has been gaining importance. Its reliability, sustainability and quality are therefore of critical importance to water consumers and of equal concern to water suppliers.

The RO process purifies water by forcing it through a semipermeable membrane, which retains most of the organic and inorganic species present. Purified water is collected as ‘permeate’ while the ‘concentrate’ part, or brine, is discarded. www.utilities-me.com

The development of new-generation, thinfilm, composite membranes has helped to create a variety of RO applications that tolerate wide pH ranges, high temperatures, and harsh chemical environments while also achieving vastly improved water production (flux) and water purity (solute separation characteristics).

Today, RO use is growing steadily in both industry and the public arena as a result of superior treatment chemicals, enhanced technology and lower costs when compared to other approaches. In addition to traditional

seawater and brackish water desalination processes, RO membranes have found uses in wastewater treatment, the production of ultrapure water, water softening, microelectronics, food processing, industrial waste recycling and many other areas.

Scaling and fouling, however, often reduce the performance of operation, increase operating costs and eventually lead to plant shutdowns for cleaning. Organic and inorganic types of deposits - or scales - are some of the main culprits involved in membrane blockage.

September 2017 / Utilities Middle East

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INDUSTRY FEATURE

During the RO process, the salt concentration in brine often crosses the solubility limit of inorganic salts, resulting in scaling salt precipitation. In addition to this inorganic fouling, organic matter present in water benefits microorganisms, which contribute to the growth of biofilm on the membrane surface.

Furthermore, the chemicals that are used to prevent fouling are facing increasingly stringent environmental legislation relating to the discharge of phosphorus-based species. It is therefore critical that membrane systems can rely on high performance scale inhibitors to treat water and to ensure an efficient, reliable and sustainable production of potable or nonpotable water.

WATER-SOLUBLE POLYMERS To prevent scale and biofilm growth on membrane surfaces in separation applications such as RO, Dow Water & Process Solutions, which is active in this field as a major supplier of both membrane film technologies for RO and ultrafiltration (UF), plus a variety of selective preservatives and biocides, surfactants and solvents for RO, has developed a series of high-performance Acumer water treatment polymers.

These are based on an acrylic chemistry backbone and are free of phosphorus-containing species.

Their high efficiency increases the recovery rate and thus decreases feed water use at any given volume of permeate production.

This leads to considerable savings in water and energy requirements and lowers the levels of chemicals needed for pre-treatment, in the feed water itself and for membrane cleaning. Low molecular weight acrylic-based polymers prevent hard water scale in many types of industrial, commercial, institutional and public water systems.

Their scale inhibition performance is broadly attributed to their molecular weight and the unique incorporation of special comonomers that provide charge and steric, hydrophobic and hydrophilic interaction with a saltsaturated water environment. Similar polymers have successfully been used for over a decade to reduce different scale types in settings such as cooling towers, boilers, scrubbers, washers, oil recovery, pulp and paper production, geothermal applications, sugar production, agricultural processing and swimming pools.

Their scope of application is growing continuously to include additional types of RO sys-

20 Utilities Middle East / September 2017

FILTRATION New filtration techniques are taking shape

tems, due to improved membrane technology and its global adaption. Acrylic-based scale inhibitors are known to inhibit crystal growth, distort crystal morphology and disperse inorganic precipitates or particles.

In addition, special sulfonate and non-ionic comonomers cleared the way for the design of polymers that stabilise corrosion inhibitors, such as phosphates and zinc-containing compounds, by preventing their precipitation with calcium, iron, and hydroxide ions that are common in alkaline hard water.

As RO technology discovers more reuse and recycling applications, scales other than the typical calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and calcium sulfate become the limiting factor for increasing permeate recovery rates. Polymers that excel in stabilising phosphates, iron, silica and silicates will also protect membranes from scale and fouling in the RO system as the feed water salts concentrate during the water purification process.

By preventing scale formation, properly tailored acrylic-based polymers further avoid channeling the selected flow through nonscaled areas, which will lead to lower recovery rate and a reduction in cleaning efficiency.

In addition, some of the newly designed high performance acrylic based antiscalants are designed to avoid precipitation with cationic flocculants under select combinations and dosage systems. Some application examples are described below:

CACO3 INHIBITOR In order to lighten its environmental footprint, the RO process, like so many others, is deliberately being pushed to its limits. There is a continuous urge to increase the recovery of purified water from the RO process until it reaches a system limitation where it is no longer possible to control scaling.

More often than not, this limit is reached for CaCO3 scale first, then CaSO4 scale, as these two are the most common precipitating species around the globe. To control them more effectively, there is a need for inhibitors to work under high concentrations of Ca2+ or other multivalent metal ions. It is well known that the presence of high amount of calcium or any other multivalent metal ion can chelate carboxylate-based anti-scalants.

Further, the performance of phosphonates such as HEDP deteriorates in systems with high calcium content. PBTC is somewhat more stable under brines, but it also fails under extreme conditions. Dow has developed Acumer 4800, a calcium scale inhibitor that is tolerant to very high calcium levels that are observed under high stress conditions.

SUPERIOR BIODISPERSANT Inorganic scale mainly refers to salts that precipitate out of water once concentration exceeds solubility limit and deposits. Organic scale, on the other hand, primarily relates to the deposition of organic matter on the RO memwww.utilities-me.com

INDUSTRY FEATURE

TREATMENT RO membranes are used for water and wastewater treatment

brane. It is not as common and mainly occurs when one of the pre-processes fails to curtail the concentration of such species entering the RO process.

In the majority of cases, organic chemical species or microbes settle on the RO membrane in operation and develop as an impermeable extracellular polymeric substance, which resists the biocide’s action. This layer, produced by a conglomerate of microorganisms, is called ‘biofilm’.

Dow has recently developed a dispersant, Acumer 6600, which has the correct balance of hydrophilic and hydrophobic character to work efficiently on such biofilms. In addition to dispersing biological matter, this water-soluble polymer is also able to disperse organic chemical foulants or inorganic particles in water treatment application.

The novel dispersant was recently evaluated by a service company with over a century’s experience in water treatment. The company faced the problem that a white deposit of 4-5 cm thickness was forming in its cooling tower basin. Inspections also showed that the water contained an increasing amount of black deposits stemming from bacteriological biofilms.

Acumer 6600 was used in the annual cleaning and disinfection treatment on four different www.utilities-me.com

cooling circuits. It was applied in shock format (discontinuous) at 50 ppm active in circulating water for at least 24 hours. This was followed by addition of 1 litre/m3 of peracetic acid biocide treatment. Afterwards, the water was completely discarded and circuits were rinsed. The results of the application were very positive and resulted in waters that were clear and limpid. The successful test case demonstrated the strong cleaning and disinfecting power of both reagents used together.

at such high stress conditions. It will help end users to achieve higher recovery in RO operations by pushing the limit for the amount of silica present in water. Silica scale is a general term used mainly for two types of scales: colloidal and amorphous silica, and metal salt silicates. The type of silica scale formed depends significantly on the conditions in which a process is being operated.

RO application normally operates at near neutral pH of 7-8, so colloidal silica is the predominant type of scale that forms where feed water is rich in silica. The critical step in colloiENHANCED CONTROL dal silica inhibition is the prevention or delay of Silica scale is one of the most difficult scales to silica polymerisation, at which conventional silremove once it is adhered to membranes. It results in membrane plugging and eventually icate scale inhibitors are inefficient. leads to system shutdown. Silica is reportedly Dow has developed Acumer 5100, a new the most dominant type of fouling after organic multi-purpose silica inhibitor specifically fouling. Silica scale is a significant problem in suited for RO. During silica scale formation in regions where ground geology contains high RO operation, silica initially polymerises to levels of silica. form colloidal particles, then later these particles settle into silica scale. Hence, two processes Surface water from volcanic regions of the USA, Japan, New Zealand, etc., contains very high are involved: silica polymeriation inhibition and colloidal silica dispersion. levels of silica - 50-100 ppm to begin with. When While traditional inhibitors are mainly such water sources are used for RO operation, active toward colloidal silica dispersion, even a 50% recovery becomes a challenge, due Acumer 5100 demonstrates superior perto the limitations of anti-scalants in controlling silica scale formation. formance via both mechanisms. This perforTo counter this problem, Dow has developed mance is demonstrated by the results of a flat an innovative antiscalant targeted in particular sheet membrane study.

September 2017 / Utilities Middle East

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ADVERTORIAL

TAKING ON THE CHALLENGE OF CUTTING CARBON How can asset managers respond to the challenge of balancing low-carbon development with ever increasing demand?

RECOGNISING THE CHALLENGE The 2014 IPCC report on climate change states that while major climate change is now unstoppable, the worst extremes can be averted if fast, decisive action is taken to curb greenhouse gas emissions. To help slow the pace of climate change, many governments across the world – including all of those in the GCC – signed the Paris Accord committing to make efforts to limit emissions.

The UAE, for example, has committed to increasing its share of renewable energy to 25% by 2021, while Saudi Arabia seeks to reduce its emissions by 130MtCO2 by 2030.

Nevertheless, such national greenhouse gas reduction targets are set against ambitious economic growth aspirations. Countries in the GCC, for example, all have ambitious targets to grow and diversify their economies in the coming decades. This growth is supported by some hundreds of millions of dollars per year investments by 2030 in critical infrastructure in the power, water, transport, communications and waste sectors. How can asset managers respond to the chal-

22 Utilities Middle East / September 2017

lenge of balancing low-carbon development with ever increasing demand?

CHALLENGING THE STATUS QUO The UK’s Infrastructure Carbon Review asked over 100 companies just this question. The lead-

ing companies had worked out ways to cut carbon in their existing and new infrastructure and at the same time cut costs. This is because they looked at efficiency in infrastructure delivery through a new lens – the carbon lens, which is a good proxy for resource and cost efficiency. www.utilities-me.com

ADVERTORIAL

Carbon reductions can be made at any time, but the best outcomes are achieved when low-carbon thinking begins early on in the project lifecycle. Leading clients and their supply chains in other parts of the world have already achieved reductions in capital carbon of up to 39%, and 34% in operational carbon. These reductions were achieved in association with average reductions in Capex of 22%. Mott MacDonald has helped many of these industry-leading organisations globally, including the UAE, to reduce their carbon emissions and cost by providing design, programme management and carbon management advisory services.

At the planning stages, the root cause of the need should be challenged. Asset owners should ask themselves ‘do I need a new asset to meet the new service outcome?’ and ‘is there another way?’. They should start having another look at their existing asset base to decide whether they can maximise its use such that new demand is covered by building less. Think about how existing assets can be utilised better to get the same or greater outcomes. If new assets are needed, they should be ‘built clever’, using innovative technologies and materials. And finally, the way the assets are built must be as efficient as possible, using modern construction techniques that reduce cost and shorten delivery programmes. This potential is summarised in the carbon reduction hierarchy and asset managers can use this way of thinking to identify low carbon outcomes throughout their asset management programme.

Three key ingredients to a successful low carbon organisational culture emerged: low carbon technical solutions; collaborative business processes; and behavioural change that challenges existing ways of doing things. Low carbon technical solutions are required to change the types of infrastructure assets being developed.

There is a need to challenge the way infrastructure assets operate to make them more efficient and new technologies and ways of thinking must be embraced. But low carbon technologies are not sufficient on their own. New business processes, such as delivery processes, governance, roles and responsibilities must be developed and implemented to facilitate innovative thinking and to make sure a project is sufficiently challenged by the right teams in terms of carbon and cost and that the best solutions are implemented on every asset, every time. Finally the people that are trusted to develop these new kinds of assets must be engaged early to be aware of the problems, are given the freedom to question the status quo and use their ingenuity to solve the chalwww.utilities-me.com

lenges they face, either through internal or external collaboration mechanisms SUCCESSFUL DELIVERY By integrating low carbon thinking into their businesses, asset owners around the world have reported success stories, and identified that lower carbon solutions are often lower cost solutions.

The benefits are tangible. As well as cutting carbon in their businesses, asset owners can save money while doing so, improving the bottom line. Infrastructure asset owners are an engine of change, having enormous influence over the emissions of entire countries.

Their efforts to reduce those emissions bring

EXAMPLES BOX: We showed how a municipal asset manager in the GCC could reduce CO2 by almost one tonne per capita by changing the technologies it needs to expand its network – and save money doing so. It also enhanced the reputation of the asset manager with the regulatory bodies.

In the last five years a UK water utility has halved capital carbon and reduced operational carbon by 10%, while achieving a capital cost saving of 20%, measured against a 2010 baseline. Its focus on carbon has been so

commercial and reputation benefits and make employees and the supply chain feel more engaged.

With its investment pipeline, the GCC countries and the companies building new infrastructure have enormous potential influence on the future GHG emissions of the region.

GCC asset owner organisations have the opportunity to show real leadership to cut carbon and cost. With lots of new low-carbon policies being developed across the GCC, business must now respond to the challenge and embrace new ways of thinking that deliver lasting value. In this way the GCC has a great opportunity to be seen as an exemplar region delivering low carbon and low cost infrastructure.

commercially beneficial that it is targeting a 70% capital carbon saving by 2030.

To support the asset planning of a GCC power utility, we developed a forecasting tool that predicted the GHG emissions of various combinations of power and desalination developments, helping them to meet their company commitments on sustainability.

In Australia, we helped identify innovative new approaches to construction of a set of highway structures, reducing carbon and cost by over 80%, and cutting construction time too.

September 2017 / Utilities Middle East

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COVER FEATURE

24 Utilities Middle East / September 2017

www.utilities-me.com

COVER FEATURE

A STRONGER, SMARTER AND GREENER GRID The disruption caused by multiple and unpredictable sources of renewable energy generation and the decentralisation of the energy infrastructure presents opportunities to utilities and system operators. ABB is seizing the moment to kindle a wide-ranging digital revolution of the grid

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HAPING THE ENERGY REVOLUTION It is rewarding running an $11bn business with more than 37,000 employees located across the globe providing products, systems, services and software solutions across the power value chain. But it is also challenging to maintain your market and technology leadership, and as they say, the only thing tougher than ‘getting to the top’ is ‘staying at the top’.

But Claudio Facchin is no stranger to challenges.

After handling key roles as head of ABB’s global substations business and region president for China and North Asia, he returned to ABB’s global headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland as a member of ABB’s Group executive committee, to head the company’s

www.utilities-me.com

Power Systems business which he successfully turned around after it had run into some stormy weather.

In 2016 he took up his present role as President of the consolidated Power Grids division, which is now undergoing a major transformation to reaffirm its leading market position.

“We are witnessing an energy revolution and the power sector is at the centre of it. In fact the world of electricity is undergoing unprecedented change, both on the supply and demand sides. The rapid deployment of renewables – both bulk and distributed - are making it imperative for the grid to become more flexible, reliable, efficient and environmentally friendly not only to keep the lights on and address the growing need for electricity, but also grapple with new demand loads like data centres and electric vehicles” says Claudio Facchin.

September 2017 / Utilities Middle East

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COVER FEATURE

BRIDGING THE GAP “Millions of people depend on electricity for almost every aspect of their everyday lives. It is therefore extremely important to ensure availability, reliability and efficiency” says Facchin.

“It is a top priority for every utility to have a dependable transmission grid and distribution network by deploying world-class technologies and driving innovation with the help of the technology providers”, says Facchin.

Utilities in the region are now following the global trend in harnessing new digital technology to build resilient and flexible power networks. Both the external market and internal infrastructure are being transformed by the emergence of smarter grid. In the future, the grid will represent an energy system steered by analytics, an example of the Internet of Things (IoT) in action.

With end-to-end transparency of distribution and transmission, utilities and operators will be better able to understand both grid performance and customer behaviour. That insight can be used to optimise OpEx (operational expenditure) and CapEx (capital expenditure) and create new business services.

“The challenge will be not just to gather and secure data from a hugely diverse range of sources, but also to make sense of a wide variety of structured and unstructured formats. Moreover, it’s not just the quantity but the quality of data that counts.” says Facchin. “At ABB we have the domain competence and the hardware and software portfolio to bridge the gap between operational and information technologies (OT and IT), generating actionable intelligence that can help us master the control room and optimise assets throughout their lifecycle. “ According to a recent Transparency Market Research report, by 2016, the global market for smart grid technologies, which includes sensors, management and control technologies, communication networks, and software, will be worth $80.6bn, a growth of 28.7% from 2011. By 2020, the global smart grid market is forecast to exceed $400bn.

A POWER HUNGRY REGION Electrical power is widely expected to play an important role in the region as GCC leaders develop strategies to diversity their economies. The region finds itself in a dilemma of meeting fast-growing demand for electrical power while making good to its international obligations to reduce CO2 emissions.

26 Utilities Middle East / September 2017

On the supply side, natural gas and oil have been the traditional energy sources for generating electricity, but new energy sources such as renewables and nuclear are coming online to meet new demands. These include photovoltaic (PV) solar, such as the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum (MBR) solar park, among the largest of its kind in the world – spread over 77 square kilometres, and to generate

$80.6bn Projected global market for grid sensors and control technologies in 2018

We are witnessing an energy revolution, and the power sector is at the centre of it. The world of electricity is undergoing unprecedented change on the supply and demand sides.”

SMART SUBSTATION A mix of energy sources is driving demand for smart substations

Claudio Facchin, ABB www.utilities-me.com

COVER FEATURE

Digital solutions to define the future of the grid

The Internet of Things (IoT) technologies will enable utilities to fine-tune their power supplies to meet fastchanging demands, allowing them to optimise resources.”

Claudio Facchin, ABB

$400bn Projected global market for smart grids by 2020 according to market research

1,000MW by 2020 and 5,000MW by 2030.In Saudi Arabia, the Vision 2030 plan will require electrical infrastructure to power transportation, water, business and leisure. Similarly, Abu Dhabi is actively planning for demandside management to enhance energy efficiency and conserve water – and with desalination and pumping stations placing heavy demands on the power grid, water conservation has major implications for electrical networks.

GCC countries are also developing transportation through high speed railways and potentially hyper-loop tracks – both of which will draw on significant power and rely on digital technology to optimise operations.

The emergence of electric vehicles (EV) is changing the region’s energy landscape.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is working to meet future demand for electric vehicles by investing heavily in a network of EV charging stations, which will rely on smart control and e-commerce systems to balance the demand of drivers and the operation of the grid and manage payments.

Bearing in mind this changing landscape, utility operators are already making good progress on diversifying energy sources and enhancing the sophistication of the grid.

THE ROLE OF ELECTRICAL SUBSTATIONS Globally, electrical substations are seen as the cornerstones of the grid, and play a cenwww.utilities-me.com

September 2017 / Utilities Middle East

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COVER FEATURE

tral role in the region’s energy diversification. Substations are vital installations in the power grid that enable, protect and control the transmission and distribution of electricity. Their role is to ensure the efficient and reliable supply of power, connecting power from generating stations with consumers through transmission and distribution networks. Key substation equipment includes transformers, which adjust voltage to required levels, and switchgear, the large industrial switches that connect and interrupt power to isolate and protect sections of the grid.

ABB has a long history of supporting power infrastructure in the Middle East. It has installed the world’s highest substation, which lies on the 155th floor of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, to control and distribute power within the iconic building.

“The substation at Burj Khalifa delivers safe and reliable power for everything from lighting and elevators to ventilation, heating and air conditioning,” says Facchin. “As part of the project, ABB delivered lightweight and space-saving switchgear, as well as specially designed transformers to fit the constrained footprint. We also have a MicroSCADA system that integrates units at various levels of the building.”

Another recent landmark project is the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum (MBR) solar park substation, energised earlier this year. It is the first solar plant of its kind in the UAE with a 400kV substation that integrates a solar power plant into the grid. A major consideration in the design of the transmission substation was the capability to accommo-

28 Utilities Middle East / September 2017

The substation at Burj Khalifa delivers safe and reliable power for everything from lighting and elevators, to ventilation, heating and air conditioning.”

Claudio Facchin, ABB

400kV ABB substation that integrates MBR solar power plant into the grid

date future growth, with the park’s power generation capacity expected to reach 5,000MW by 2030.

“When delivering substations, ABB draws on decades of experience of building tens of thousands of substations around the world.

It has introduced novel substation technologies to enhance their performance and intelligence while reducing their size,” says Facchin.

Among other global landmark installations are the substations that serve the world’s largest hydropower plants like Itaipu in Brazil, one of the largest HVDC projects in the world, supplying power to São Paulo. ABB has also delivered turnkey substations associated with the Three Gorges and Xiangjiaba-Shanghai HVDC projects in China and a string of similar projects in China and India including the soon to be commissioned North East Agra ultrahigh www.utilities-me.com

COVER FEATURE

SMART CITIES IoT trends and smart cities are the fulcrum for intelligent substations

voltage HVDC link.

Another key trend to take note of is the increasing interconnectivity of grids be it AC or DC. Europe is a good example where interconnections are enabling greater integration and balancing of renewables, even between countries. In the Middle East, ABB has 400kV AC grid as an example. HVDC connections are also being planned in the region, which could also be interconnected in the future.

Facchin also points out the capabilities of ABB in powering the fast-changing power requirements for transportation projects. One example is the 220kV substation that ABB is delivering to support the expansion of Bahrain International Airport.

The Dubai Aviation City Corporation has relied on ABB to extend the electrical supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) www.utilities-me.com

When delivering substations, ABB draws on decades of experience of building tens of thousands of substations, including more than 10,000 high-voltage substations.”

Claudio Facchin, ABB

5GW Projected total capacity of MBR solar park in Dubai by 2030

system at Dubai international Airport. The airport’s staff rely on the SCADA system for full supervision and easy operation of the electrical grid at one of the world’s busiest airports. It includes smart decision making, for example by automatically disconnecting and connecting loads in the case of a power outage and the subsequent powering up of the emergency gas turbine.

Dubai Metro, the first driverless train in the region relies on ABB technology for substation control and monitoring systems. ABB designed and installed control systems for three substations to be used by the metro. The technology is designed to increase energy efficiency and reliability with a powerful set of tools to monitor and manage power quality.

Today ABB’s switchgear can handle more than a million volts (1,100 kV DC and 1200 kV AC) – in more simplistic terms, a single switch that can turn on and off the entire electrical power of a country the size of Switzerland (population 7.7 million).

Meanwhile, the footprint of substations has reduced steadily over the years, with ABB’s introduction of gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) in the 1960s, as well as more recent developments in underground substations that free up valuable real estate at ground level.

UNPRECEDENTED CHANGE AND THE DIGITAL SUBSTATION “The electric ecosystem is undergoing remarkable change at a scale never before seen. With the proliferation of renewables driven by solar panels on rooftops and the rapid deployment of windmills both onshore and offshore - we now have far more generation points than ever before and need to address new challenges like intermittence, storage and spinning reserves because the wind blows when it blows and the sun shines when it shines – but we want reliable and quality power supplies around the clock and still need to address peak loads if we are to have electricity where and when we need it. All these forces require the grid to become much smarter – and this is what is driving the digitalisation of the grid across the power value chain” says Facchin.

As power grids evolve, they must be capable of adapting fast to rapidly fluctuating conditions, serving a complex power generation, supply and demand landscape. This will rely on digital technology at a deeper level in elecSeptember 2017 / Utilities Middle East

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COVER FEATURE

ABB’s substation at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park

tricity substations than ever before.

The approach is already central to DEWA’s research and development drive at the MBR solar park, where the operator is conducting research to integrate smart grid technology and enhance the production and efficient consumption of energy.

Digital substations will be a key component of next generation grids as they enable smarter power systems. This innovative technology concept supports the digital transformation of the power sector. They will incorporate digital communications via fibre optic cables, replacing traditional copper connections using analogue signals. They will also enable greater flexibility, availability and safety, while reducing cost, risk and environmental impact.

Digital substations will also feature Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) with integrated information and communication technology. An IED is a microprocessor-based protection and control device for power equipment, such as circuit breakers, transformers and

30 Utilities Middle East / September 2017

Number of industrial internet digital solutions by ABB Ability portfolio

tion and control systems with numerical types as far back as the 1980s and has supported the development of IEC 61850, the industry standard that defines smart grid communication and interoperability. In digital substations analogue equipment is replaced or complemented with digital signalling at every level in the substation, down to the instrument transformers. Digital substations help to enhance the productivity, functionality and reliability of assets while reducing footprint and improving safety.

The behaviour of power consumers is also changing, with introduction of electric vehicle charging networks and demand-side response schemes.” Claudio Facchin, ABB

DRIVING THE ENERGY REVOLUTION In order to drive digitalisation, ABB has pulled its digital capabilities together under its ABB Ability technology platform. The ABB Ability portfolio comprises more than 180 digital solutions using the Industrial Internet to create digitally connected devices, systems and services that dramatically increase productivity, cut maintenance costs considerably and reduce energy losses up to a third in today’s digital age.

capacitor banks. The increasing amounts of data available in a digital substation will also enable more sophisticated monitoring, diagnostics, protection and optimisation of assets.

ABB started replacing conventional protec-

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COVER FEATURE

quality,” he points out.

“This has become more challenging as the number of renewable generation connections grows. ABB introduced DERMS to manage increased complexity and variability of loads. The software can help utilities manage the entire lifecycle of distributed energy resources from registration to optimisation.”

ABB’s 400kV Gas Insulated Substation

One example of this approach could be applied to virtual power plants (VPPs), a term for the central control and optimisation of many distributed power generators. “Almost all generation and storage technologies can form part of a BPP, from biogas and biomass to combined heat and power (CHP), wind, solar and hydro, to diesel and fossil-fired plants.

Thousands of small individual units can be combined into a single VPP to gain the competitive advantage of a big player. ABB Ability technologies can enable VPP operators to monitor and plan loads, forecast deviation and participate in the energy market.

The solution handles real-time processing of large signal and data sets to manage and control assets.

Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS) are another example of the potential of ABB Ability, says Facchin. “Rooftop solar and battery energy storage are transforming power distribution networks. Operators need to keep the grid balanced while maintaining system reliability and power www.utilities-me.com

ABB Ability’s range of digital solutions comprises performance management solutions for industries that depend on plants and systems, control systems for process industries, and remote monitoring services for robots, motors and machines.” Claudio Facchin, ABB

1,100kV Voltage level handled by ABB’s switchgear at the Three Gorges in China

TECHNOLOGY AT THE FORE Digital substations rely on two key technologies: Digital sensors for transmission and distribution-level applications and substation automation systems that comply with the IEC 61850 substation communications protocol.

In a conventional substation, current and voltage transformers are connected to intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) by means of hard wired point-to-point copper signal connections. The IEDs then perform first-level analysis and provide the gateway into the digital world. In contrast to that hard wiring, in a digital substation, primary equipment such as switchgear, transformers and sensors are digitally enabled and connect with state-of-theart IEDs via a fibre-optic process bus.

The IEDs themselves combine the roles of control and protection and their functionality is established at the engineering stage. For example, the entire control and protection functionality of a gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) bay can be integrated in a local control cubicle in the bay, removing the need for a separate control room.

Therefore, the very core of a digital substation can be seen as the IEC 61850 digital process bus. This is the fibre-optic link that provides the communication between all substation primary equipment and the IEDs for protection and control.

The role of the process bus is to carry digital data such as sampled current and voltage measurements as well as control commands between high-voltage equipment and the protection and control system (IEDs) that acts as the brains of the substation.

The digital technology can monitor and diagnose mission-critical functions of power transformers and switchgear continuously, allowing for remote monitoring and proactive management of the asset’s lifecycle.

Software systems that manage data and asset health are the final elements of digital substations. They turn digital substation data into actionable information safely and September 2017 / Utilities Middle East

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COVER FEATURE

securely. “Digital substations are simpler, more compact, safer and more efficient than their conventional counterparts,” says Facchin. “Adopting digital substation technology can reduce the quantity of copper signal wires in air-insulated switchgear (AIS) substations by as much as 80% and eliminates conventional instrument transformers, which are bulky and require regular maintenance for testing and calibration.

Not only does this save the use of copper as a material but also saves space by reducing the need for cable runs and trenching. Testing and commissioning is also easier and removing the copper signal wires also enhances safety for operating personnel during the life of the substation. Being galvanically isolated from the grid itself, digital grid automation equipment is straightforward to install and maintain.

Digitalisation opens up the potential for condition-based monitoring. Constant supervision and measurement of performance enables utilities to benefit from earlier detection and preventive elimination of malfunctions, therefore reducing the need for periodic maintenance.

DIGITALISING POWER GRIDS AROUND THE WORLD ABB has recently delivered a digital substation to Technopark, a major Information Technology (IT) parks in Kerala, India. The 110 kilovolt (kV) digital substation provides reliable, round the clock power to serve more than 350 companies located in the 930,000 square miles

220/66kV Substation that ABB is delivering for the Bahrain International Aiport

Adopting digital substations can reduce the quantity of copper in air-insulated switchgear (AIS) substations by 80% and eliminates conventional instrument transformers.” Claudio Facchin, ABB 32 Utilities Middle East / September 2017

Claudio Facchin, president, ABB Power Grids division.

campus, employing more than 50,000 people.

The park is a government-initiated scheme to foster high-technology industry in the Indian state of Kerala and hosts workers in IT, biotechnology and nanotechnology – so it was natural to adopt a future-compatible digital substation as the centrepiece of the park’s power grid, says Facchin.

In the United Kingdom, ABB technology is enabling the country’s first digital substation under the name of FITNESS (Future Intelligent Transmission Network Substation). Utility operator SP Energy Networks engaged ABB to deliver grid automation technology to protect, monitor and control the transmission network in southern Scotland, where largescale wind energy resources are connecting to the grid.

The area of lower Manhattan in New York experienced significant salt water flood damage after a storm surge during Hurricane Sandy. Utility company, Con Edison, took the opportunity of major refurbishment to digitalise the substation, and as part of the latest digital upgrade by ABB, some 80% of the copper control cabling has been rendered obsolete and has been replaced by just a handful of fibre optic cables.

“The increasing digitalisation of the power value chain is key to addressing new grid com-

plexities” says Facchin. “Facilitating grid automation and the convergence of information and operational technologies are an integral part of our strategy and lie at the core of our ABB Ability offering.”

With the pace of change in the power grid accelerating, digital substations continue to hold great promise for utilities globally as they seek to meet the changing patterns in supply and demand, integrate ever-high levels of renewable energy, and broaden avenues for managing energy resources and new types of demand.

Whether driven by the need to upgrade existing infrastructure or to support the development of high-technology industry or transportation, digitalised substations will continue to offer unique opportunities for enhanced power grid performance, while assuring huge savings in space and resources.

“Our vision at ABB Power Grids, is to be the partner of choice for enabling a stronger, smarter and greener grid. We are committed to delivering differentiated value to our utility, industry, transport and infrastructure customers all over the world to help them build the best-in-class power infrastructure and manage their assets in the most efficient manner” says Facchin. www.utilities-me.com

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A SPECIAL REPORT FROM UTILITIES MIDDLE EAST

DELIVERING POWER Ongoing electric power projects in the GCC continue to prop up the region’s substations market. Solutions providers are now broadening their portfolio of services to stay afloat in an increasingly competitive industry

SMARTER SUBSTATIONS

DUBAI BUILDS SUBSTATIONS

From traditional to intelligent substations, a big win for T&D utilities p38

Dubai’s DEWA is investing $2.72bn in new substations to enhance power supply p40

35 Utilities Middle East / April 2016

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Smart substations for grid stability With an energy basket, tomorrow’s grid needs intelligent networks made up of intelligent substations Smart meters have grabbed a lot of the limelight when it comes to the smart grid. But, let’s face it, next-generation intelligence in substations is the fulcrum for bringing more renewable energy into the electrical distribution network. Smart meters delivered intelligence to the grid’s end points, but increasing intelligence in substations via smarter intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) will enable regional supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems to more effectively manage power supply and demand in grid segments that contain renewable energy sources.

There’s no denying that renewable energy sources like solar and wind present a greater control challenge for maintaining a reliable, dependable electrical supply system. The very nature of renewable energy sources is quite different from the traditional power generation plants that have formed the grid’s foundation for the last century and more.

Unlike the massive power-generation plants fired by fossil fuels, renewable energy can be sourced from a plant as small as several

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solar panels on a home or a few wind turbines on the side of a hill behind a new subdivision.

In addition, the traditional power grid can be characterised as many demand points with a relatively few supply points. On the other hand, a smart grid with significant renewable energy will have many demand points while also starting to tilt toward a greater number of smaller energy sources that are closer in proximity to end consumers.

In fact, micro-grids are already being deployed and have demonstrated their worth. Many experts expect that the implementation of micro-grids to increase because their scale is well-suited to the scale of most renewable energy sources.

The lack of predictability from renewable sources and the larger number of producers are both difficult to handle within the traditional grid, which has unidirectional communication flowing from a centralised hub. Information about the level of demand and the production level from multiple points of supply needs to be communicated to the central supply-and-demand management system, and then back out to the power sources and other grid resources that manage power delivery.

In cases of high demand, dispatchable power sources will need to be told to ramp up. In cases where demand is low or renewable generation is high, dispatchable power sources could ramp down, or renewable sources could be instructed to store their excess produced energy for a high-demand situation. Grid resources, such as IEDs in substations, will need to be told how to manage all of this power routing.

It is clear that the smart grid will need to seamlessly blend these divergent power sources—traditional power-generation plants

and renewable sources—in a way where they will complement and optimise each other’s strengths while minimising their weaknesses.

Doing so will certainly make the smart grid of tomorrow a much more complex place, introducing new control challenges that can be overcome by a more intelligent infrastructure, particularly at the substation level. As such, it will require a large increase in computing power.

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MARKET FOCUS

DELIVERING POWER Ongoing electric power projects in the GCC continue to prop up the region’s substations market. Solutions providers are now broadening their portfolio of services to stay afloat in an increasingly competitive industry

D

riven by increased urban expansion and industrialisation, countries from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are expected to drive the global market for gas insulated substations (GIS) which is set to reach $35.83bn by 2024, according to a recent report by Transparency Market Research.

According to the research report, the gas insulated substation market revenue stood at $14.75bn in 2015 and is projected to reach $ 35.83bn by 2024 at a compound annual growth (CAGR) of 10.31% from 2016 to 2024.

Increasing need for compact and low maintenance power systems has led to the emergence of gas insulated substations. These substations were developed in Japan since the country is located in a high seismic zone and there was a need for substations, which could be installed in small confined spaces.

Gas insulated substations are much more reliable and more efficient than their counterparts, air insulated substations. These high voltage substations can be installed in a small sealed environment with sulfur hexafluoride gas acting as the insulating medium. Demand for increased power generation in urban areas has led many countries to adopt high voltage substations.

Gas insulated substations also work reliably at high voltages and require less operation and

EVERY !

E U S S I 36 Utilities Middle East / September 2017

maintenance services. Air insulated substations are susceptible to rising pollution levels, thus such substations can effectively be substituted with gas insulated substations for continuous operations.

The market for these substations is anticipated to rise at a substantial pace in the near future due to increasing environmental concerns and scarcity of land in urban areas. Increasing cost of land and demand for compact power systems are the primary drivers boosting the market for gas insulated substations. In urban areas, where availability of land is a rising concern, gas insulated substations can be installed in small areas within a building.

The total space required by a gas insulated substation is approximately 10% of that required by a conventional substation. In harsh environmental areas, such as deserts and arctic regions, these substations provide reliable operating performance.

The GCC is expected to expand at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Industrialisation, and growth in manufacturing and power generation would drive the demand for gas insulated substations in these countries, said the report The gas insulated substation market is segment by voltage into medium (d 72.5 KV) and high (>72.5 KV). High voltage gas insulated substations are primarily used for transmission and distribution of electricity at high and extra-high voltage.

Last year, Asia Pacific was the largest market for

gas insulated substations globally, accounting for 54% of the market. China was the leader in terms of revenue realisation from gas insulated substations, followed by India.

Europe was the second-largest market for gas insulated substations, while CIS countries, such as Russia, spearhead the gas insulated substation market in Europe with modification and expansion of aged electricity infrastructure.

North America was the third-largest market in terms of market share, in 2015. The U.S. and Canada were the leading countries with highest revenue realisation. The report suggested that the market in Rest of World would to witness significant growth in the near future, with growth in the manufacturing and processing sectors and increasing demand for electricity.

UME ANNUAL REPORTS 2017 www.utilities-me.com

MARKET FOCUS

The GCC holds promise for substations as demand for electric power grows

With GCC renewable energy investments expected to top $100bn by 2036, demand for digitalised substations is projected to increase to cope with the intermittency from this source of electric power.

The level of connectivity provided by the Internet of Things (IoT) has found its way into substations and switching stations, as utilities integrate more equipment with interconnectivity capability. The digital substation concept has been getting a lot of traction with utilities around the world, although digital technology is not a new concept to the electric power industry.

Early this year, ABB said it had successfully energised a major substation that will help evacuate power from the Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum (MBR) Solar Park in Dubai. The 400/132

SEPTEMBER

kilovolt (kV) gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) substation has been built for Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA), the UAE’s leading power utility, to connect the second phase of the MBR Solar Park and integrate 200 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the transmission grid.

Also in April, Siemens was awarded an order to supply two mobile substations to National Grid SA, the transmission operator of Saudi Electricity Company (SEC). Based on the unique specifications from National Grid SA, Siemens has combined its existing mobile substation modules together to design and manufacture two 380kV mobile substations able to fit and suit in any network area of the kingdom.

With a rating of 502 megavolt amperes (MVA) each, these two high-voltage mobile substations

NOVEMBER

SUBSTATIONS

WATER NETWORK MAINTENANCE

OCTOBER

DECEMBER

WATER EFFICIENCY

will be the most powerful ever built in a single feeder configuration.

A mobile substation is mounted on a special trailer and can easily be transported wherever needed. They are a fast and versatile solution for emergency power restoration or fast-track grid connection that also guarantees the utmost reliability. They also support heavy maintenance or renovation work as an interim bypass substation that can be easily set up to reduce or eliminate power outages.

A recent Transparency Market Research report has shown a significant increase in the market for transformer oil globally. According to the report, the global transformer oil market was valued at $1.99bn in 2015 and is anticipated to reach $3.26bn by 2024, expanding at a CAGR of 5.7% between 2016 and 2024.

GCC countries are expected to increase their spend on substations as new power projects come online. India based Larsen & Toubro’s (L&T) Power Transmission & Distribution Business recently won several substation orders in Oman and UAE worth more than $175mn.

DEWA has already announced plans to build 97 new 132/11kV substations during the course of the next three years at a total projected cost of $2.72bn.

Locations of the facilities include Hassyan, Jebal Ali, Al Aweer, and Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, according to DEWA. Also in April, GE said one of its units had signed a new agreement with the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) to set up four new 132kV substations and renovate four existing 132kV substations in bid to boost the kingdom’s distribution infrastructure.

As per the deal, GE Energy Connections will deliver the four new substations as turnkey projects that include engineering, design, civil work, supply of gas insulated switchgears (GIS), power transformers, and control and automation.

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September 2017 / Utilities Middle East

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SMART A new generation of substations seeks to stabilise electric power from various energy sources

INTELLIGENT POWERING In line with the so-called fourth industrial revolution, traditional energy network substations are evolving into digital substations, with major breakthroughs that may provide enormous gains for transmission & distribution (T&D) utilities combination of technology and macroeconomic factors is driving an indepth transformation of the energy industry. The transition towards a new mix of energy sources with greater content from renewable sources; the need to improve power delivery reliability and quality; and pressure to reduce operating expenditures on network assets are some of these factors.

The resulting challenges for the electrical grid include integrating distributed energy resources, adjusting supply and demand in real time, enhancing overall equipment performance while minimising service downtime and blackouts.

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38 Utilities Middle East / September 2017

As a result, next-generation electrical grids are becoming more complex and need to be more intelligent to cope with bi-directional flows of energy and information. This can be achieved by adding monitoring and diagnostics devices.

Electrical substations are at the core of this evolution. Being the critical nodes of the energy highways, “it is clear that, in order to make the grid more digital and intelligent, we need to start with making substations not only digital but intelligent, too,” says Javier Lopez, senior product marketing leader at Grid Solutions.

The level of connectivity provided by the Internet of Things (IoT) has found its way into

substations and switching stations, as utilities integrate more equipment with interconnectivity capability.

Substations have had many digital devices integrated into their infrastructure, but what the industry has today is a hybrid of analogue and digital technologies. The purely analogue substation is hard to find and definitely on the endangered species list, but the totally digital substation has not completely emerged, either.

A typical digital substation solution incorporates many components, all designed for optimal inter-operability, data retrieval, protection and control capability and remote settings. Its architecture is organised on three levels. www.utilities-me.com

KNOWLEDGE PARTNER

THE PROCESS LEVEL

A digital substation is based on a communicating architecture, where real-time operational measurements and other data are polled from the primary system by sensors embedded within the primary system. This data is communicated to devices which must act on those measurements (pressure or temperatures in GIS switchgear, current and voltage measurements) via a “process bus”.

Most important is that smart devices and systems within the substation, i.e. protection relays, recorders, phasor measurement units, bay controllers, wide area controllers, can immediately process this data.

By subscribing as clients to this data flow over an Ethernet process bus, the information from the “eyes and ears” of the power system is distributed and communicated much more efficiently to the bay level than in conventional hardwired schemes.

The process bus is also the link by which the primary equipment information from out in the yard travels back to the substation control room.

In a fully digital architecture, control commands are also routed to the primary devices via the process bus. The process bus, therefore, enables time-critical services.

than a traditional SCADA bus, as it permits multiple clients to exchange data, supports peer-to-peer device communication and links to gateways for inter-substation wide-area communication.

The IEDs perform their time critical functions such as protection, point-on-wave switching supervision and other tasks via direct interaction with the process bus.

Additionally, other clients in the substation may require information-sharing of some or all of this data. For example, protection and control schemes may be distributed amongst multiple IEDs. There is also the need to distribute the information to local or remotely-stationed control operators so they can visualise the operational status of the substation in real-time. This requires substation HMIs, proxy server links to remote HMIs and control servers. One or more workstations can apply the instructions assigned by regional dispatchers, or can be used as an engineering workstation for IED configuration, or for local concentration and archiving of power system data.

On-line condition monitoring may have specific workstations for alerts and to manage the database history of each primary device.

DIGITAL ADVANTAGE

THE PROTECTION AND CONTROL LEVEL

Between the process bus and the station bus are devices identified as “secondary equipment”.

In the digital substation, these devices are IEDs (intelligent electronic devices), interacting with: the field via the process bus; with other peer devices in the bay; with other bays, and with the digital control system via the station bus.

They are designed to provide the Smart Grid applications demanded by utilities via real-time and secure equipment. They provide interoperable solutions, stability applications, wide area protection and control plans, and more globally, substation situation awareness.

Key components are: the protection relays, bay controllers, switches and Ethernet network, measurement and recording devices, substation proxy, the operator user interface within the substation control room, time synchronisation units, security applications and the panels where all this equipment is commissioned and energised.

IEC 61850 communications enable complete integration between devices. It ensures optimal use of the information for the continuity and reliability of electrical grid operations in secured access situations.

The digital technology implanted in the substation is being tapped to make it an intelligent web of smart components acting as a network interactive with other digital substations on the system.

Utilities have the ability to gather, filter and trend data to determine the health of equipment and the condition of the network, but another level has received attention — technology. After all, it is the technology that makes the management of energy systems much easier. The equipment sends a notification when maintenance is needed or a problem is found, and then groups of digital substations work together to route electricity around the maintenance or problems rather than interrupting the flow of power.

The extensive self-diagnostic capabilities of

It is clear that, in order to make the grid more digital and intelligent, we need to start with making substations not only digital but intelligent, too.”

THE STATION CONTROL AREA

Javier Lopez

The digital substation station bus is much more

Grid Solutions

www.utilities-me.com

digital devices ensure the maximised availability of the substation, as well as its full suite of functionalities: any degradation in the performance of an asset is pinpointed in real-time. The inherent redundancy built into the system can be employed to self-heal maloperation, and permits troubleshooting without the need for primary system outage.

The intelligence within digital substation schemes allows close monitoring of the load capacity of plant equipment, based on their design ratings. This dynamic load analysis means that lines, cables, transformers and other grid equipment can operate closer to their limits.

The digital substation closely monitors all substation assets in terms of operational conditions, effective load capacity and asset health indicators. Intelligent systems analyse the data and provide recommendations on maintenance and repair actions. This allows a shift to predictive maintenance, avoiding unplanned outages and emergency repair costs.

Data exchange between intelligent devices, intra and inter-substation, is optimised through Ethernet communications. Smart local and wide area control units allow data exchanges between voltage levels within substations and between substations.

Direct inter-substation communication without the need to transit via a control centre reduces the response times, enabling fast, realtime applications.

The capital cost of investment projects is reduced on many fronts, allowing savings on the time needed to engineer and install substations, and reduced real-estate needs. Copper cabling is cut by up to 80% through the use of optical fibre, while asset optimisation tools allow faster targeting of weak areas which need to be reinforced, allowing for reduced operational costs.

Being IEC 61850 compliant, established companies such as ABB, GE, Siemens, Schneider Electric among others are providing solutions and substations designed to be interoperable with other vendors’ equipment, with a strong degree of standardisation at the interface level of secondary equipment systems.

Introduced in 2004, the IEC 61850 standard is increasingly accepted across the world, as its main objective is to ensure interoperability between equipment coming from various suppliers. IEC 61850 continues to evolve and encompass the needs identified by the industry’s user group, ensuring that it caters to all substation needs.

September 2017 / Utilities Middle East

39

SUBSTATION NEWS

DEWA TO BUILD $2.72BN WORTH OF SUBSTATIONS Locations include Hassyan, Jebel Ali, Al Aweer, and Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has announced plans to build 97 new 132/11kV substations.

The substations will developed during the course of the next three years at a total projected cost of $2.72bn (AED10bn).

Locations of the facilities include Hassyan, Jebal Ali, Al Aweer, and Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, according to DEWA. HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and chief executive officer of DEWA, said: “We have started building new stations in Hassyan, and at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, in addition to Jebel Ali and Al Aweer.

“We intend to launch new projects to enhance the efficiency of our elec-

tricity transmission networks, with an allocated investment of $272mn (AED1bn). DEWA continuously adopts new strategies based on innovation to anticipate future energy challenges and opportunities.”

As of the end of 2016, DEWA had established a total of 222 132/11kV main substations in Dubai. 16 of these facilities were commissioned last year at a total cost of $540m (AED2bn).

“DEWA is expanding its electricity and water services by developing new stations and updating existing ones, according to the latest worldclass practices,” said HE Al Tayer.

“DEWA’s total production capacity reached 10,000MW in 2015. [Its] peak load capacity grew by 4%. We

ENERGISED New substations to boost power supply in Dubai

have allocated a budget of $17.7bn (AED65bn) over the next five years to meet future demand,” he added.

Meanwhile, DEWA has awarded contracts worth $35 for 1,570 transformers in a move to expand the electricity distribution network.

The transformers will increase the capacity, efficiency and reliability of the electricity distribution network in Dubai, to ensure a continuous and stable supply of power to all stakeholders. All the transformers will be delivered by April 2018.

L&T to complete 300 gas insulated substations in the GCC The Company has qualified and executed Gas Insulated Substations (GIS) of up to 400 kV capacity Larsen and Toubro’s power transmission and distribution (PT&D) business has already completed the construction of 225 substations of various capacities in GCC countries with another 75 in the pipeline, according to T. Madhav Das, executive vice president & head, PT&D Business, L&T Construction.

“Thus far, we have completed 225 substations and 75 more are under construction. We have qualified and executed gas insulated substations (GIS) of up to 400 kV capacity in the GCC,” said Das. “We have installed over 4000kms of transmission lines and more than 3000kms of cabling for 25 reputed customers across the region. Over the

years, our power transmission & distribution business vertical has gained significant presence and market share in the GCC countries for executing projects on an EPC basis,” he told UME. Larsen& Toubro (L&T) is a $17bn technology, engineering, construction, manufacturing and financial services conglomerate that has had a presence in the Middle East for over 4 decades.

L&T’s power transmission & distribution business has successfully established long-standing associations with key customers by consistently meeting and exceeding their expectations through safe and timely delivery of quality power infrastructure projects. Presently, L&T offers

40 Utilities Middle East / September 2017

POWER BOOST L&T is supporting new electric power projects

single-window solutions to meet the complex power infrastructure requirements of the Middle East.

“The current demand for electrical power in the GCC countries is approx-

imately 60,000MW and is expected to triple over the next 25 years,” said Das. “GCC countries are constructing and energising several substations to serve their strategic projects.” www.utilities-me.com

SUBSTATION NEWS

SIEMENS TO SUPPLY MOBILE SUBSTATIONS The two HV mobile substations will be the most powerful ever built in a single feeder configuration Siemens was this year awarded an order to supply two mobile substations to National Grid SA, the transmission operator of Saudi Electricity Company (SEC). Based on the unique specifications from National Grid SA, Siemens has combined its existing mobile substation modules together to design and manufacture two 380kV mobile substations able to fit and suit in any network area of the kingdom.

With a rating of 502 megavolt amperes (MVA) each, these two highvoltage mobile substations will be the most powerful ever built in a single feeder configuration.

A mobile substation is mounted on a special trailer and can easily be transported wherever needed.

They are a fast and versatile solution for emergency power restoration or fast-track grid connection that also guarantees the utmost reliabil-

ity. They also support heavy maintenance or renovation work as an interim bypass substation that can be easily set up to reduce or eliminate power outages.

“We are pleased that our mobile substations will provide our customer National Grid SA with three crucial aspects of a safe power supply: agility for grid reinforcement projects, grid resilience to failures, and flexibility in operation, maintenance, and renovation,” said Mirko Düsel, CEO, transmission solutions business unit at Siemens energy management.

Thanks to their built-in rotating air bushings, their installation and connection time is reduced to less than one week and can be executed with no equipment manufacturer services. Mobile substations are a fast and versatile solution for emergency power restoration or fast-track grid

ON WHEELS Mobile substations minimise the impact of power failures

connection that also guarantees the utmost reliability. They also support heavy maintenance or renovation work as an interim bypass substation that can be easily set up to reduce or eliminate power outages.

With a voltage of 380 kilovolts (kV) and a power capacity of up to 502 MVA, the two substations are the most powerful ever built on a single feeder configuration. One substation contains three single-phase autotransformers with a capacity of 167.3 MVA each, which makes them the

largest transformers for mobile substations ever built at Siemens.

“The National Grid SA-Specified mobile substations configuration jointly customised with Siemens, will allow us to bypass any 380 kV substation in the event of failure or major maintenance work,” states Mr. Ali S. Al-Rammah, vice president of National Grid SA and head of the company’s maintenance business line.

“They can also be used as fasttrack solutions to connect a new plant to the grid. It has been essential to develop a customised technical specification for us to have a plug-and-play solution that we could quickly mobilise and install on our own. It will significantly improve the 380-kV and 132-kV grid resiliency that are the backbone of our power transmission infrastructure,” he said.

ME distribution transformer market to reach $3.92bn Rising population across the region may further instigate need to save energy A new report by Global Market Insights analyses the trends and developments in the Middle East distribution market for the forecast period 2016-2024.

According to the report, the Middle East distribution transformer market size is estimated to reach $3.92bn by 2024. Small distribution transformer market share will witness growth with 3.9% CAGR from 2016 to 2024.

Rising population across the region may further instigate need to save energy, which in turn is expected to catalyse distribution transformer market growth over the forecast timeframe. www.utilities-me.com

NEW devices on power transmission CAPACITY poles across the region in order Demand for to further decrease energy conpower is the key market driver for sumption at higher level. substations in Saudi Arabia distribution the region

Several countries in the Middle East including Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and UAE have developed policies to limit the consumption.

These policies may spur government initiatives for using efficient

transformer market share is forecast to lead the industry, with revenue set to surpass $1.5bn by 2024.

Meanwhile, Transparency Market Research has published a new market report titled “Transformer Oil Market - Global Industry Analysis Size Share Growth Trends and Forecast 2016-2024”.

According to the report, the global transformer oil market was valued at $1.99bn in 2015 and is anticipated to reach $3.26bn by

2024, expanding at a CAGR of 5.7% between 2016 and 2024.

Distribution transformer application segment accounts for significant market share in the transformer oil market due to the fact that distribution transformers outnumber power transformers.

The segment is also expected to experience a rapid growth during the forecast period due to the government initiatives in various countries to expand the power infrastructure, especially in developing regions such as Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Africa. Asia Pacific holds the significant market share in the global transformer oil market.

September 2017 / Utilities Middle East

41

FEATURE

B

ack in 2008, Mohamed Al Hammadi was working diligently in a classroom at the offices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), learning how to develop nuclear technology and infrastructure for the UAE. Fast-forward to the present day, less than a decade later, and the GCC state is home to the largest single-site, under-construction nuclear project in the world. Moreover, Al Hammadi is now chief executive officer of Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), the developer behind Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant. “[The project] started in 2008, with a clear mandate to develop a nuclear

power plant in the country. Today, it is a great achievement that we are very proud of,” Al Hammadi tells Construction Week.

Located some 53km west of the city of Ruwais, in the Al Dhafra Region of Abu Dhabi, Barakah boasts four massive dome containment units, each of which houses a Generation III+ APR1400 nuclear reactor. With each reactor capable of generating as much as 1,400MW, the facility will be able to produce up to 5,600MW of energy once fully operational. ENEC expects all four reactors to come online in 2020.

This output, says Al Hammadi, will be used to meet approximately one quarter of the UAE’s electricity needs, and will

Solar gives you good power at peak times, nuclear gives you base load, and natural gas gives you flexibility [...] It’s a beautiful basket of energies for the UAE.” Mohamed Al Hammadi, ENEC

42 Utilities Middle East / September 2017

www.utilities-me.com

FEATURE

Developed as part of the UAE’s Peaceful Nuclear Energy programme, Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant will generate up to 5,600MW of energy and supply 25% of the country’s electricity needs when it becomes fully operational in 2020

BY FATIMA DE LA CERNA

www.utilities-me.com

September 2017 / Utilities Middle East

43

FEATURE

The training simulator is an exact replica of the plant’s main control room.

supplement other energy sources, making for what he calls a “basket of energies”.

Remarking that the country’s population is witnessing double-digit growth, Al Hammadi stresses that electricity demand will only continue to rise, necessitating a diversification of the UAE’s energy sources.

“There’s a plan to create a dynamic, flexible basket of energies. Nuclear will play a major role in that equation. We’ll still need [natural] gas; we’ll still need renewables. We’ll need all sources of energy because the country continues to grow,” he explains.

Commenting on the UAE’s decision to invest in nuclear energy, he continues: “The good thing about nuclear power is that it is a clean, safe, and reliable source of energy, and there is no question about that. There are no CO2 emissions. Once all four units are operational, [the UAE] can avoid around 21 million tonnes of CO 2 emissions annually.”

Al Hammadi adds that, from an energy security point of view, each reactor at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant is designed to run uninterrupted on an 18-month fuel cycle, making

Fuel is waiting to be loaded and, once we get the operating company to meet all the checks and receive all the approvals from the regulator, we will have the plant operational.”

Mohamed Al Hammadi, ENEC 44 Utilities Middle East / September 2017

the facility an excellent source of base-load electricity.

Henry Berry, engineering director at ENEC, elaborates on the reactors’ 18-month cycle, saying: “We call it breaker-to-breaker. When you start a fuel cycle, you get 17 months of operation, plus one month of maintenance or outage. We load fuel once in a cycle and then we operate continuously, generating electricity 24/7. Depending on how well the plant runs, it might be a little less or a little more than 17 months but, generally, we’ll be on an 18-month cycle.”

Noting that each of the reactors has an operational lifespan of 60 years, Al Hammadi reiterates his point about the UAE’s energy basket.

“Looking at it from an energy-basket point of view, they’re all complementary. Solar gives you good power at peak times; nuclear gives you base load; and natural gas gives you flexibility, because you can switch it on and off. It’s a beautiful basket of energies for the UAE,” he says.

In July 2017, on the same day that Construction Week visited Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, ENEC announced that cold hydrostatic testing (CHT) had been completed for the facility’s Unit 2, approximately 12 months after Unit 1 passed the same test.

CHT, according to the company, is used to verify that the welds, joints, pipes, and components of the reactor coolant system and its associated high-pressure systems comply with the standards of the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR).

Cooling down The Barakah nuclear energy station makes use of seawater for cooling. According to ENEC, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) requires that the temperature difference between intake and discharge water does not exceed 5°C. To meet this requirement, water dredging was carried out and breakers were constructed, as part of the design of the dredging channel, to create a current that would enable the water to enter from one side and leave from another.

Established in 2009, the same year that ENEC was formed and the prime contract – valued at $20bn (AED73.5bn) – was awarded to Korea Electric Power Company (KEPCO), FANR is the regulatory body responsible for ensuring that the plant’s design, construction, operation, and eventual decommissioning adhere to international standards of safety and quality.

Successfully completing FANR requirements, such as CHT, is treated as a huge milewww.utilities-me.com

FEATURE

All effort is [now] going to the quality review of the plant; to dotting every ‘i’ and crossing every ‘t’, [and] checking to make sure that the power plant is built to specification, as per our regulatory requirements.”

Mohamed Al Hammadi, ENEC

The Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant is expected to become fully operational in 2020.

The plant consists of four containment units, each of which houses a nuclear reactor.

stone by ENEC, owing to the stringency of the regulator’s standards and policies, and the exhaustiveness of the processes involved in securing approvals and licences.

Just how exhaustive? Well, the first construction licence application that ENEC submitted for Units 1 and 2 was a 9,000-page document. FANR reportedly took 18 months to review the application, before sending it back with what ENEC officials describe as “requests for information”. www.utilities-me.com

In fact, Al Hammadi’s team were asked to answer approximately 3,000 follow-up questions. The initial document was submitted in 2010, and construction on Unit 1 only commenced in 2012.

To date, ENEC has submitted more than 35,000 pages of licence applications to FANR, with the last being the operating licence application for Units 1 and 2, submitted back in March 2015 and for which ENEC is awaiting approval.

“Progress on Unit 1 is now at 96%, so we are only 4% from starting the power plant,” says Al Hammadi, adding: “All effort is [now] going to the quality review of the plant; to dotting every ‘i’ and crossing every ‘t’, [and] checking to make sure that the power plant is built to specification, as per our regulatory requirements.”

In May 2017, ENEC received its first batch of fuel assemblies for Unit 1. Those fuel assemblies are now at the plant, where they will be stored until the unit is cleared by FANR to go online.

As part of its fuel procurement strategy, ENEC entered into contracts with six suppliers for materials and services. US-based ConverDyn will provide conversion services, while Canada’s Uranium One will supply natural uranium. UK-headquartered URENCO will provide enrichment services. Another British company, Rio Tinto, has been contracted to provide natural uranium. Russia’s TENEX and France’s AREVA, meanwhile, will both be supplying uranium concentrates, conversion services, and enrichment services.

“Fuel is waiting to be loaded and, once we get the operating company to meet all the checks and receive all the approvals from the regulator, we will have the plant operational,” says Al Hammadi. Nevertheless, he stresses that ENEC’s current focus is to ensure that the plant is compliant with all standards and regulations on nuclear safety, and that Nawah Energy Company is ready.

Nawah, a subsidiary of ENEC, will be responsible for operating and maintaining all units of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant. Having signed a joint venture agreement with ENEC in October 2016, KEPCO owns 18% of Nawah, as well as Barakah One, which represents the commercial interests of the power station.

“We are expecting 2018 to be the year we start operating the plant,” says Al Hammadi, adding that Unit 2 is already more than 85% complete, while progress at Units 3 and 4 are September 2017 / Utilities Middle East

45

FEATURE

Barakah: IN FIGURES

1.1 million

The Barakah nuclear power plant will be operated and maintained by Nawah Energy Company.

cubic metres of concrete used on the project as of the end of April 2017, which is already three times the total volume of concrete used for Burj Khalifa

225,000 tonnes of reinforcing steel as of the end of April 2017, which is already six times more than the total tonnage of reinforcing steel used for Burj Khalifa

1,559 km total length of cables used as of the end of April 2017

19,000 number of workers onsite

2,000 approximate number of people employed by ENEC, of whom 60% are Emirati

20% percentage of female employees at ENEC, higher than any other nuclear energy company in the world

$3bn worth of contracts awarded to more than 1,400 UAE-based companies for materials and services

46 Utilities Middle East / September 2017

at 74%, and 51%, respectively. “When exactly?

Once we meet all the [FANR] requirements.”

FANR has also been tasked with enforcing the commitments that the UAE made in its Policy on the Evaluation and Potential Development of Peaceful Nuclear Energy, which was published in 2008, serving as the foundation stone of the country’s Peaceful Nuclear Energy programme.

This mandate on the federal authority,

We used the Shin Kori plant in South Korea as our reference plant, so we have a plant that is designed to withstand earthquake levels in South Korea, even though we don’t have the same potential for earthquakes.” Henry Berry, ENEC

according to ENEC, is important because the UAE is determined to demonstrate that nuclear energy can be used for “peaceful purposes without opening any doors to different uses”. One way it is trying to achieve this is by outsourcing enrichment services for the uranium.

Enrichment, explains Maryam Qasem, head of nuclear fuel fabrication procurement at ENEC, refers to the process of increasing the percent composition of the isotope uranium-235 from 0.72% – the amount found in natural uranium – to 5%, so the uranium can be used to generate nuclear energy for electricity purposes.

Qasem notes that the process carries risks because uranium can be used to develop nuclear weapons by increasing the isotope composition to 90% – a risk that the UAE government wants to avoid. So, as part of its Peaceful Nuclear Energy programme, the www.utilities-me.com

FEATURE

Simulator training

Mohamed Al Hammadi, ENEC CEO.

Fukushima came largely as a result of an earthquake and a tsunami, so we revisited our design and reconfirmed that it was very robust.”

Henry Berry, ENEC

Emirates has also decided against allowing fuel reprocessing in the country.

Meanwhile, the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel is reportedly among the longterm waste management strategies that the UAE government, which is in the process of developing a national radioactive waste management policy, is considering. But even if the government does decide to conduct reprocessing, it too will be outsourced in a bid to prevent the possible proliferation of plutonium, which can also be used in the production of nuclear weapons.

Qasem explains that after the uranium goes through the reactor and undergoes nuclear fission, different elements are produced, one being plutonium. “What reprocessing does is separate the uranium from the plutonium – that is the source of concern,” she says.

Qasem adds that while it remains to be seen whether or not the government opts for reprowww.utilities-me.com

cessing, the country still has time to weigh its options because its current waste management strategy allows for 70 to 80 years of safe storage at the Barakah site.

According to ENEC, spent fuel will initially be stored in concrete- and steel-lined spent fuel pools for 10 to 20 years, to let it cool. It will then be moved to concrete and steel containers called dry casks, where it can be stored for up to 60 years.

Berry emphasises that if there is one overarching principle governing Barakah – from design and construction to operations and waste management – it is safety. Safety, he says, is the top priority; hardly surprising given it is often the public’s biggest concern, especially in light of incidents such as the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster that took place in the wake of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake in Japan.

Indeed, Barakah has been designed to withstand events that precipitated the Fukushima incident.

“Fukushima came largely as a result of an earthquake and a tsunami, so we revisited our design and reconfirmed that it was very robust. The UAE has very low potential for those types of events because there are no fault lines nearby and the Arabian Gulf is too shallow to produce a high tsunami wave, even if a seismic event occurred,” he explains.

Berry concludes: “We used the Shin Kori

ENEC has invested in a 7,000m2 Simulator Training Centre, which comprises two full-scope training simulators. These simulators are said to be exact replicas of the main control room (MCR) at the plant, enabling trainees preparing to become certified plant operators to gain experience of different scenarios in a virtual environment. In turn, ENEC is able to test its employees’ ability to respond to a host of emergency situations, ranging from having to deal with a broken pipe to responding to the failure of multiple fuel rods.

The simulator consists of a large display panel (LDP) made up of 14 screens, showing all critical parameters. Trainees are expected to be able to assess plant conditions just by looking at those screens, according to ENEC. The simulators also come with analogue safety consoles that serve as backup systems, in case the digital main systems fail. And just behind the LDP is what ENEC calls the remote shutdown room. This room, found one floor beneath the actual MCR, serves just one purpose: to halt plant operations.

It represents one final fail-safe, and would only be accessed in the unlikely event that both the main and backup systems failed. plant in South Korea as our reference plant, so we actually have a plant that is designed to withstand earthquake levels in South Korea, even though we don’t have the same potential for earthquakes [in the UAE]. We didn’t want to [compromise,] so our plant is very robust.”

September 2017 / Utilities Middle East

47

PRODUCTS PRODUCTS & TECHNOLOGY

SF6 Gas Leak Detector New products allows both infrared and gas inspections

Ti450 SF6 Simplifying gas detection

Identifying leaks of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), which is used as an electrical insulator in extremely high-voltage utilities applications, generally requires the purchase or rental of an expensive gas detector or hiring an outside consultant. The alternatives are shutting down equipment and using a sniffer, which after some time, can determine only the approximate area of the leak, or coating the entire equipment in soapy water and inspect, which is extremely time consuming and also requires the equipment to be powered down.

The new Fluke Ti450 SF6 Gas Leak Detector combines a high-quality infrared camera with an SF6 leak detector that visually pinpoints the location of SF6 leaks without shutting down equipment. The Ti450 SF6 allows utility crews to include it as a normal part of their maintenance routine, allowing them to conduct both infrared and gas inspections whenever and wherever necessary. It eliminates the need to wait for special annual or bi-annual leak inspections—and the corresponding expensive equipment rentals or contractors—so maintenance work can be done as required, reducing potential equipment damage.

The pistol-grip Ti450 SF6 makes diagnoses of issues point-and-shoot convenient, even in hard to reach or high overhead locations. With the Ti450 SF6, technicians can monitor leaks more frequently, allowing maintenance to be scheduled at a convenient time without unplanned downtime.

48 Utilities Middle East / September 2017

MTR3000 Smart Meter Combining traditional smart metering with distributed Networked Energy Services Corporation (NES), a global smart grid market leader with the industry’s leading Patagonia Energy Applications Platform (EAP), announced its next generation polyphase smart meter is now available for customers. The new Polyphase Smart Meter, MTR3000, is the second model available from the Generation 4 product family, which exceeds utility’s smart meter requirements, as well as, provides distribution grid sensing capabilities.

The MTR 3000 is fully interoperable with NES smart metering solution and communications systems already deployed, and contains additional capabilities and benefits including: • Multi-core processing to enable edge computing and support distributed grid analytics of the Patagonia Energy Applications PlatformTM • Multiple communication options for utility consumer engagement and demand

response programs beyond the meter • Data collection and communication capability for heat, gas, and water metering devices • Tamper resistant security chip for device security • Apparent energy and power measurements supporting grid asset utilization and life analysis • Magnetic tamper alarming and DC magnetic immunity for increased revenue protection.

MTR3000 4th generation smart meter

TiDL technology Engineered with simplicity in mind, TiDL saves copper, time, money, and lives Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) has added Time-Domain Link (TiDL) technology, an innovative substation solution that digitises analog signals, to its SEL-400 series relay product line.

The TiDL solution replaces copper cables with fiber-optic cables. It is cybersecure and simple to apply, with no network engineering and no external time reference required. Because of the nonroutable protocol, the direct fiber connection between field modules and the relay in the control house, there’s no need for switches or routers.

In a TiDL implementation, SEL-2240 Axion devices are located close to the primary equipment in the substation yard and act as field modules. TiDL’s simple point-to-point architecture transports the data over fiber-optic cable to a TiDL-

SEL-400 series No need for switches or routers

enabled SEL-400 series relay in the control house.

The Axion’s 24 kHz sampling rate significantly improves the accuracy of metering and frequency tracking, and its modular architecture allows the user to select analog input, digital input and digital output modules to match the application.

www.utilities-me.com

PRODUCTS PRODUCTS & TECHNOLOGY

Megger MPQ1000 Handheld The auto CT identification eliminates potential errors The Megger MPQ1000 Handheld Power Quality Analyser, available from Global Test Supply, is a highly intuitive handheld 8 channel 3-phase analyser that delivers unmatched capability in a smart ergonomic platform.

The perfect tool for troubleshooting, compliance testing and energy audits.

Automatically detects CTs and features 1000V AC/DC ranges as well as WiFi, Ethernet & USB. The auto CT identification systematically eliminates potential errors due to wrong CT range settings.

Simple connection with a push of a button and the analyser will automatically identify the CT and be able to verify it is connected correctly.

Features: • Input Power is 120/240 V, 50/60 Hz • Power Factor Accuracy is

±0.02 + CT error • USB communications, Ethernet communications, USB stick for data and configuration file transfer, SD card for direct data transfer • External Data storage SD card (32GB max).

Applications Compliance testing to any PQ standard, Substation monitoring, Transformer analysis and de-rating, Switchgear and component failure, Tripping breakers, Power factor studies, Load studies and load balancing, Billing verification, Capacitor bank sizing, Motor troubleshooting and inrush testing, Equipment tripping offline, Dimming/surging lighting, Neutral overheating & Solar (PV) analysis.

MPQ1000 For troubleshooting

Portable CBS ArcSafe RSA-91B M Installation and operation do not require any modifications to CBS ArcSafe, a manufacturer of remote CBs with ratings of 800–2000 A. Typical racking and switching solutions for applications include switching from high low- and medium-voltage switchgear, available fault current systems such as main introduces its remote switch actuator service disconnects, feeder disconnects or (RSA) for the General Electric Power Break branch circuit disconnects. When compared insulated case circuit breaker (ICCB). The to other arc-flash mitigation alternatives, lightweight, portable CBS ArcSafe RSAthe RSA-91B M is a cost-effective solution 91B M allows technicians to remotely close for keeping operators safe. or trip the General Electric ICCB from a Optional features include radio remote safe distance of up to 300 with a range of up to 300 ft., 24 ft., well outside the arc-flash VDC LED light, wireless video camboundary. era system with LCD monitor, and Installation and operation rugged protective case assembly. do not require any modificaAll RSA units are portable, fast and tions to the existing electrical easy to set up; offer mechanical equipment because of CBS and/or electrical safety protection; ArcSafe’s magnetic latching are adjustable to fit unique electrisystem. The RSA-91B M is cal equipment configurations; compatible with manually and reduce the requirements for ArcSafe RSA-91B M operated Power Break ICpersonal protection equipment.

www.utilities-me.com

100-112.5 KVA portable power distribution systems From skid mounted temporary power distribution substations to dolly cart mounted transformers Larson Electronics manufactures and distributes a wide variety of three phase and single phase portable power distribution systems. From skid mounted temporary power distribution substations to dolly cart mounted transformers, these power distribution panels are designed for use in construction, industrial, military, and offshore applications. Input primary voltages include 240V, 208Y, 277V, 480V, and 600V with secondary voltages including 120V, 208Y, 240V, 277V, 347V, 480V, 575V, and 600V for common configurations.

Larson Electronics also provides replacement, retrofit, and upgrade parts as well as industrial grade power accessories. Its craftsmen can custom build any lighting system and/or accessories to fit the unique demands of your operation. A commitment to honesty, quality, and dependability has made Larson Electronics a leader in the lighting and electronics business since 1973.

Portable power Flexible power distribution

September 2017 / Utilities Middle East

49

Final Word TRANSITIONING TOTHE 21ST CENTURY GRID The ongoing shift in the grid is impacting the UAE, says Michel Madi, CEO – Middle East, Africa & India, Networked Energy Services Corporation The term ‘Smart Grid’ was used nearly a decade

Spearheading the GCC with its path-breaking initia-

Middle East

PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE Tel: 00 971 4 444 3000 Web: www.itp.com Offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, London & Mumbai ITP MEDIA GROUP CEO Ali Akawi Executive Director Matthew Southwell Group Editorial Director Greg Wilson Group Publishing Director Ian Stokes Editorial Editorial Director Robert Willock Tel: +971 4 444 3357 email: robert.willock@itp.com Editor Baset Asaba Tel: +971 4 444 3159 email: baset.asaba@itp.com Advertising Sales Manager Andrew Gathercole Tel: +971 4 444 3392 email: andrew.gathercole@itp.com

tives is the UAE, which has a clear focus on sustainable

ITP Digital

grids and information technology, although it did

development. With the deployment of Smart Grids, the

Advertising Director Riad Raad Tel: +971 4444 3319 email: riad.raad@itp.com

not encompass the ‘grid intelligence’ we have today

UAE can integrate clean energy sources into its electri-

where power-generating resources operate as a con-

cal systems, enabling it to increase its output by opti-

ago to define the intersection of electrical

nected device. One of the biggest achievements of the mally harnessing untapped energy from wind and

ITP Live General Manager Ahmad Bashour Tel: +971 4444 3549 email: ahmad.bashour@itp.com

21st century is the intelligent control of distributed

solar sources. While wind and solar energy can have

Studio

energy, which has become possible with the Internet

invariable outputs, Smart Grid technologies optimise

of Things (IoT).

output variability and increase its reliability, further

Head of Design Genaro Santos Art Editor Rey Delante

The legacy system generated power from grids located in remote areas, which were controlled by a centralized system of a utility that had limited visibil-

reinforcing the country’s commitment to sustainable development.

The UAE has unveiled its ambitious Energy Plan

ity and insight of the load and generation. However, the 2050 in line with the UAE Vision 2021, which aims to

Photography Director of Photography Patrick Littlejohn Senior Photographers Rajesh Raghav, Efraim Evidor, Richard Hall, Ethan Mann Staff Photographers Lester Apuntar, Aasiya Jagadeesh, Ajith Narendra, Ruel Pableo, Ausra Osipaviciute, Grace Guino, Fritz Asuro, Sharon Haridas

outdated system has given way to a network of distrib-

reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 70%, increase

uted generation, which has the capability of produc-

clean energy use by 50%, and improve energy effi-

ing electricity onsite. While generating, storing and

ciency by 40%, resulting in savings of $190.7bn. The

distributing electricity, these grids are creating data,

policy calls for 44% of energy for local consumption

which can be collected and analysed to optimise per-

to be generated from renewable sources, 38% from

formance in real time.

gas, 12% from clean fossil, and 6 per cent from nuclear

Circulation

resources by 2050; 90 per cent currently comes

Director of Conferences, Circulation & Data Michael McGill Senior Circulation Manager Manoj Chaudhary Circulation Executive Loreta Regencia

In the US, a fully deployed Smart Grid is expected

Production & Distribution Group Production & Distributor Director Kyle Smith Production Manager Basel Al Kassem Production Coordinator Mahendra Pawar Outsource Manager Aamar Shawwa Image Editor Emmalyn Robles

to generate $130bn by 2019. In addition, new oppor-

from natural gas. An investment of $163.4mn will be

tunities worth $59bn in customer applications will

made over the next 33 years to fund the integration of

Marketing

encourage customers to reduce consumption. An

renewable, nuclear and clean fossil energies with an

Director of Award and Marketing Daniel Fewtrell Events Manager, Business Events Sophie McHugh

additional $63bn and $9bn in grid applications and

annual expense of more than $4.6bn.

advanced metering, respectively, could result in

Already a global trend, Smart Grids have seen an

improved grid efficiency and reliability. Europe,

annual growth rate of 30% in the past decade alone.

on the other hand, has a long way to go to reach the

As the cornerstones of new opportunities in the UAE’s

levels of the US; however, it will make an investment

utilities sector, Smart Grids have transformed the way

of $10bn until 2050 in Smart Grids, according to the

energy is produced and consumed, penetrating fur-

International Energy Agency.

ther into the distribution system to improve energy

The GCC has a huge challenge of diversifying

efficiency. With easy access to newly available energy

and conserving electricity, developing renewable

data, the information is being used to develop better

energy sources, and reducing its carbon footprints

products and services for consumers who can now

with the employment of Smart Grid technologies

better take control of their consumption and monthly

ITP Group Chairman Andrew Neil CEO Ali Akawi CFO Toby Jay Spencer-Davies Director Walid Akawi The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers.

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for efficient management of their resources through utility bills. In the near future, aside from power genmodern infrastructure. Innovative power grids will

eration and distribution, Smart Grids will significantly

help bolster the region’s reliance away from oil and

help in the development of other strategic sectors such

gas resources to alternative power sources and help

as electric cars or renewables with their integration

the region save up to $10bn in infrastructural invest-

into the system to improve power flows and reduce

ment by 2020 with the deployment of Smart Grids.

losses in the UAE.

50 Utilities Middle East / September 2017

Published by and © 2017 ITP MEDIA Group FZ-LLC.

www.utilities-me.com

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