Energy players during the official commencement of GEPL operations.

Business Bureau, Gulf Today

Gulf Electrical Power Laboratories (CESI|GEPL), a state-of-the-art electromechanical testing facility, announced the commencement of their operations as a separate entity that provides localised and technical services from Saudi to the wider GCC region. This will be followed by construction of the much-awaited electrical testing laboratory poised to be the first in the region and largest in area.

The announcement was made at an official ceremony held at the Saudi Arabia Smart Grid in the presence of Dr Khalid Bin Saleh Bin Abdullah Al-Sultan, Chairman of King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy.

CESI | GEPL, a joint venture between global technical consulting and engineering company CESI and GCC Electrical Testing Laboratory (GCC Lab), was conceived as a call to stricter specifications of power components compliant to the highest international standards. The testing platform will provide engineering and consultancy services to the Mena region from its soon-to-be-built lab in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Services offered include: asset management, upgrading assets and maintenance procedures, training and certifications for engineers and technicians, Research and Development, and Quality Assurance/Control.

Through strategic partnerships made with local and regional stakeholders, CESI |GEPL will be a catalyst in enhancing performance of the power systems already in place and sustain the electrical industry in the region.

“The projects successfully carried out in the Gulf region have made it possible for CESI to gain a profound experience encompassing the entire area. As world leader in power testing and certification for the electricity industry, we are fully committed to providing our experience and strategic approach to establish and localise in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia the most important electrical testing facility, fully compliant with the best quality international standards”, said Dr. Matteo Codazzi, CEO CESI.

“We aim to end the prevalence of sub quality materials. Our venture will provide the tools to enable our stakeholders to stop flooding the industry and ensure that all power components that they use are compliant with the highest international standards. The lab will be a key asset to support the policies that will sustain the electrical industry in the region. Localising electromechanical testing is a great milestone for Saudi, setting for Vision 2030,” said Saleh Al-Amri, GCC Lab CEO.

With a vision to change towards renewables and diversification of power mix, Saudi remains to be the biggest energy market in the region. Commenting on the privatization of state-owned utilities and restructure of the power generation and electricity industry, Dr. Floris Hendrikus Schulze, CESI Managing Director in the Middle East and CESI | GEPL COO said: “We see growth opportunities and bigger need of high quality, tested power components. Change in the whole sector means increased competition and cost savings, and, as the world leader in the sector, we have an important role to play to ensure the quality of these components remain.”

Mohammed Muaili, CESI | GEPL General Manager added, “Part of our commitment to CESI | GEPL and Saudi is upscaling jobs in the country while fostering knowledge. We will be filling more than 150 technical positions for the lab, and appointees from the Gulf will be trained at the CESI facility in Milan and Germany. We envision that all services rendered by CESI |GEPL will have the same standard as if they were performed at CESI facilities.”

“As part of the energy transition, a global plan for the entire area is being drafted, one that extends beyond specific, country-by-country targets to promote an integrated strategy that can encompass a multiplicity of interventions. In this respect, Vision 2030 is an important programme that has been designed to concretely affect the Saudi Kingdom. If its related intervention programs take off, in 2030 we will be looking at a decidedly different Saudi Arabia: a country that generates a greater share of its energy from solar and wind sources also investing in efficiency technologies and encouraging international collaboration. By cooperating in CESI | GEPL, we will support the policy for the creation of a really more and more effective power sector market in the Country.” he continued.