OCTOBER 2013
Enemy
at the gates
Critical infrastructure industries like utilities and oil & gas need to secure themselves against cyber attacks Samsung Engineering appoints new executive for power business
Alstom Grid Sets up middle east’S first mobile Transformer workshop
INTERViews: • First solar • Aspentech
Asset health centre maintaining mission critical assets in real time
publication licensed by impz
POWER AND WATER
POWER AND WATER MIDDLE EAST
CONTENTS october 2013 COVER STORY
4/ editor’s note
12/ RounD up
8/ THINK TANK
15/ In the region
10/ mosaic
21/ At large
SPOTLIGHT
6 / NyNAS 16 /Hydro International 61/ Fluke
65 / FLIPSIDE
Stockholm Statement
52 / 10 projects that matter 64 / EVENTS
28/ ENEMY AT THE GATES Critical infrastructure industries like utilities and oil & gas need to secure themselves against cyber-attacks.
22 /INdustry notes Taking care of power transformers Alstom Grid brings its mobile transformer workshop and HV test solutions to the region.
25 /Sector report • Global production of PV cells up by 10% • US powers ahead as most attractive country for small and medium-sized nuclear reactors.
26 /ON THE RECORD
Proving ground Matt Merfert, EPC Director at First Solar on the challenges and lessons learned from the company’s first large-scale PV project in the region.
32 /TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION Switchgears and Sustainability Environmental responsibility is moving up the agenda of switchgear manufacturers.
34 /Process Automation Inspiring optimisation Ossama Tawfick, Regional Senior Director, MENA, AspenTech on how his company is driving innovations in process engineering.
36 /ROUNDTABLE UAE: Building a green future
40 /Asset MANAGEMENT Asset Health Centre Monitoring and maintaining mission-critical assets in real time - AEP’s Jeff Fleeman shares the key milestones on that journey.
Test & MEASUREMENT 46 / Localisation made easy 62 / Never take a transformer for granted!
POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
3
EDITOR’S NOTE
To Reinvent or not
T
he events and conferences season is in full flow after the dry months of July and August. A chockablock calendar means movement is a constant. But last month, I ended up spending the better part of the day in Abu Dhabi at the Power + Water Leader’s Forum, co-located with the Power + Water Middle East exhibition. A comprehensive coverage of the forum is slated to appear in our November edition, but this editorial takes up a concern aired during the Q&A session. In response to a presentation on the scope for local value addition in the renewable energy sector, where the presenter argued that the pros and cons of ‘re-inventing the wheel’ should be considered carefully, a member of the audience pointed out that the region ‘missed the bus’ in terms of developing a strong industrial and R&D base in the oil & gas and power industry; the renewable energy sector, he proposed, offers a ‘rare’ second chance to create such a base while generating gainful employment for the local population. Additionally, it could also develop the region into a hub for innovation in this sector. Granted, re-inventing the wheel could become the proverbial millstone around the nascent industry’s neck; however, R&D and innovation that caters to the region’s unique conditions have their merits. But I would look at these opportunities in an altogether different way. With regard to a competitive industrial base, I regard Germany as a great example. Even though China is the de-facto factory of the world, the European power house continues to maintain a strong manufacturing base thanks to its focus on Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) that work at the cutting edge of technology and innovation. With regard to the region being a source of innovation, it is important to understand that innovation is not only about R&D and technology but also about new business models that disrupt traditional relationships between markets and customers. A great example is Michael Dell who created a Fortune 500 company by transforming the way computers are built and sold but not the computer. New business models also drive new technologies to capitalise on their strengths while preparing the ground for more innovations. For example, Edison invented the electric bulb which paved the way for the development of the electric lighting system and subsequently, the electric utility sector. In the following decades, entrepreneurs advanced power generation with steam turbines and developed alternating current technology, thereby reducing costs while increasing productivity. Our present and past hold important learnings on developing and sustaining new business and industrial sectors. It would serve us well to heed them.
Publisher Dominic De Sousa Chief Operations Officer Nadeem Hood nadeem.hood@cpimediagroup.com Editor Anoop K Menon anoop.menon@cpimediagroup.com Reporter Lorraine Bangera lorraine.bangera@cpimediagroup.com advertising Director Harry Norman harry.norman@cpimediagroup.com Tel: +971 4 440 9131 MaRketing Manager Jasmine Kyriakou jasmine.kyriakou@cpimediagroup.com Tel: +971 4 440 9100 DESIGN Senior Designer Marlou Delaben marlou.delaben@cpimediagroup.com Designer Cris Malapitan cris.malapitan@cpimediagroup.com Web development Digital Services Manager, IT Department Troy Maagma troy.maagma@cpimediagroup.com Web Developer Waseem Shahzad waseem.shahzad@cpimediagroup.com Production James P. Tharian Rajeesh M Circulation Rochelle Almeida rochelle.almeida@cpimediagroup.com USA and Canada Kanika Saxena Director - North America 25 Kingsbridge Garden Cir. Suite 919 Mississauga, ON. Canada L5R 4B1 kanika@cpi-industry.com tel/fax: + 1 905 890 5031 Published by:
AKMenon Anoop K Menon anoop@cpimediagroup.com
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POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
Head Office PO Box 13700 ,Tecom, Grosvenor Business Tower Office 804, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Tel: +971 4 440 9100 / Fax: +971 4 447 2409 www.powerandwater-me.com Printed by: Printwell Printing Press LLC © Copyright 2013 CPI. All rights reserved. While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.
POWER AND WATER
POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
SPOTLIGHT
Insulating oil analysis and its role in transformer condition monitoring
Bruce Pahlavanpour, Nynas AB
O
il and paper have been used as insulating materials in oilfilled electrical equipment for nearly a century. Despite the apparent mechanical weakness of oil and paper they are effective insulators, especially in combination. This is exemplified in the observed synergism of paper impregnated with oil: the dielectric strength of paper and oil on their own is 40 and 12kV per mm respectively, however their dielectric strength in combination is 64kV per mm, which is significant improvement.
Even in ideal conditions, oil and paper will degrade, or ‘age’, as their useful service lives is finite. The actual processes involved depend on the operating conditions of the equipment, but the rate of ageing is normally a function of temperature and moisture. Both oil and paper will age rapidly at high temperatures and moisture acts as a catalyst for the ageing of oil. There are also other catalysts present in a transformer which are responsible for oil ageing; these include copper, paint, varnish
At Nynas, we’re passionate about everything to do with power.
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POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
and oxygen. The principal mechanism of oil ageing is oxidation, which results in acids and other polar compounds being formed. These oxidation products will have a deleterious effect on the paper degradation processes. Transformer condition Monitoring Early in the history of oil filled electrical equipment, it was realised that an explosion in a transformer was caused by the rapid evolution of gases formed by deterioration of the insulation, but it was not until the early twenties when Buchholz
SPOTLIGHT
developed his gas and oil actuated relay. Since then it was accepted that the action of electrical or thermal stress in oil would cause sufficient deterioration to evolve gases which would then dissolved in the oil. Analyzing gases dissolved in oil is widely used as a diagnosis method for oil filled transformers. This diagnosis method is effective for preventing accident and transformer failure. Condition assessment and monitoring techniques have received a technological boost in the last
few years but at the heart of it is a technique dating back several decades. Dissolved gas analysis (DGA) is still the best technique for detecting abnormalities in transformers. The sampling of oil and subsequent analysis for dissolved gases is well defined in IEC60567. The interpretation of the results is less straightforward as there are recognised standards and several other publications, which may be used for interpretation of DGA results. Whilst they may have
similar approaches they may not always lead to the same conclusion. Gas concentration ratio is the most commonly used method. Analysis of dissolved gases in oil is widely used as a diagnosis method for oil filled transformers. It is relatively simple and cheap to use. This diagnosis method is effective for preventing accident of transformer. Although DGA is an extremely valuable tool with many applications but as in any single test procedure, it does not furnish a total picture of the condition of transformer.
Need to talk to a transformer oil supplier who understands your business? One who’s local enough to be near you, yet global enough to have the expertise you need. Get in touch. www.nynas.com
POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
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POWER AND WATER
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MOSAIC
USD 718 BILLION Total volume of government spending in Saudi Arabia during the last five years; investments during the same period reached USD 141 billion. The size of the Saudi economy has quadrupled during the last 10 years to rank first among countries of the region and 19th at the global level Source: Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA)
The USD 41 Billion Mobile Energy Storage Market
AED
BILLION Amount spend by Abu Dhabi Government in 2012 on oil subsidies for energy generation. Oil constitutes just three per cent of total fuel used for power generation in Abu Dhabi, which is a very small amount used for this purpose, compared with the trend in other oil producing countries. Source: Gulf News
700 Geothermal energy projects underway in 70 countries, with 11,766 MW of new capacity in the early stages of development or under construction, according to a recent report from the Geothermal Energy Association. By the end of this year, the global geothermal market is expected to operate 12,000 MW of capacity online. EGS technologies use directional drilling and pressurised water to enhance flow paths from this subsurface rock to create new reservoirs, capturing energy from resources that were previously considered uneconomical to recover. Source: 3BL Media
Lux Research (www.luxresearchinc.com) analysts studied the emerging landscape and forecast the market sizes for mobile energy storage technologies, identifying countries and applications that provide the greatest opportunities. Among their findings: • More wins for Li-ion. Li-ion will benefit from shifting application needs, and account for USD37 billion in 2018. It will harvest new opportunities ranging from inexpensive packs for e-bikes to 48V systems in micro-hybrids. • Silicon anodes help open floodgates in consumer electronics. Current limitations in energy storage are a constant pain point for mobile electronics like smartphones and tablets, and hold back innovations such as wearable computers. Silicon anodes can offer improvements of 30% to 45% in Li-ion battery capacity, which the industry is eagerly awaiting. • Transportation presents greater growth opportunities. Even though consumer electronics will continue to present the largest opportunity in terms of absolute dollars, the greater 2020 target set by Qatar for renewables as a growth opportunities percentage of total electricity output. This presents will come in the country an opportunity to explore low-carbon transportation. energy sources, meet additional demand and Li-ion’s compound reduce emissions. annual growth rate
2%
(CAGR) through 2018 will be 22% in e-bikes, 34% in hybrids, and 22% in plug-in hybrids. 10
Source: MENA Renewables Status Report 2013
POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
4
2.5 MILLION
Number of energy data points monitored per minute across all of General Motor’s US facilities. To adequately manage the data, GM has developed a dashboard system called Energy OnStar in conjunction with Science Applications International Corporation. Assisted by the third party, plants compare hourly performance of heating, ventilating and air conditioning equipment and their energy use. As a result of seeing this realtime feedback, GM implemented nearly USD 3 million worth of energy savings at its US facilities in 2012. Source: General Motors, www.gmbeyondnow.com
POWER AND WATER
Roundup
DEWA targets transmission efficiency
Bernhard Niessing, CEO of Siemens Industry Middle East
Siemens launches e-business in the region Siemens has launched an e-business in the Middle East to provide electronic features and functions around automation and drive systems to regional customers, with an initial focus on the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. The Siemens Industry Mall offers in excess of 135,000 products and systems in the areas of automation and drive technology, with more than 30 million variations. In combination with the Siemens Industry Online Support, a vast number of additional technical-oriented features are available. “The Industry Mall is an important milestone for Siemens in the Middle East,” said Bernhard Niessing, CEO of Siemens Industry in the Middle East. “This platform will enable our customers to meet their needs in a faster and more convenient manner, especially to accommodate for the different fast-growing industries in the region.”
Kuwait appoints HSBC as financial consultant for solar project The Kuwait News Agency reports that Kuwait’s Ministry of Finance has signed a contract with HSBC to offer consultancy for the solar thermal plant to be built in Al-Abdaliya, west of the country’s capital. The 280 MW plant will be built at a projected cost of KD 926.75 million. The technical team is due to float the venture for tendering according to regulations of Kuwait’s Public Private Partnership (PPP) programme, in cooperation with the Ministry of Electricity and Water. 12
POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) will kick start new substation projects worth AED 236 million in different areas of Dubai to enhance the efficiency of its 400 kV Static Var Compensator transmission networks. The utility is also adding five new 400 kV series reactors at a total cost of AED 370 million. Projects under construction include a 400kV main transmission station at a total cost of AED 500 million, 400 kV overhead cables of a total length of 114 kilometres at a cost of AED 285 million. “We are also working on 17 new 132 kV substations at a cost of AED 1,600 million, as well as 132 kV ground cables over a total length of 209 kilometres, at a cost of AED 1,400 million,” said H.E. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA. “We expect to start work on eight new 132 kV substations that are still at the tender submissions stage.”
James McKay
Samsung Engineering appoints new executive for power business Samsung Engineering has appointed James Mackey as Senior Executive Vice President for its Power Business Division. Mackey’s career in power business first began in 1979 with Fluor, followed by Bechtel, and a return to Fluor. Since 2008, he held key project management positions at Fluor such as Vice President of the Power Group, as well as an Executive committee member. Mackey’s in-depth experience and knowledge gained from the world’s leading power business companies is expected to bring Samsung Engineering a wealth of expertise in business development and project management on power industry projects ranging from combined cycle to large scale coal fired, and co-generation power plants.
Roundup
CESI bags grid consultancy deals in ME&A CESI Middle East has announced that it has added three new contracts to its portfolio of smart grid and HVDC projects in the Middle East & Africa regions. In Saudi Arabia, CESI has been selected by the Electricity & Co-Generation Authority to develop policies, specification requirements and an implementation plan for a smart metering and Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). In Africa, CESI has been selected by The Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCO) and The Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) as the technical consultant for the Power System Interconnector Project between Ethiopia and Kenya. The project is aimed at contributing to the integration of the electricity markets of the East African Power Pool through the interconnection of the two countries’ power systems. The interconnection will increase the supply of power and reduce the cost of electricity in Kenya, whilst, on the other hand, generating additional revenues for Ethiopia through the export of electricity to Kenya. CESI’s work will mainly focus on advising the Clients regarding the design, supply, installation on-site, testing and commissioning of about 1040 km, ±500kV HVDC bipolar overhead transmission lines.
Pentair forms JV with Saudi firm Pentair has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ali Abdullah Al Tamimi Company to form a joint venture to manufacture, sell and service Pentair’s water, fluid, thermal management and equipment protection products in Saudi Arabia. The MOU was announced at the US-Saudi Business Opportunities Forum in Los Angeles, California. “Pentair is excited by the opportunity to work with Ali Abdullah Al Tamimi Company in the largest energy market in the Middle East region,” said Ramesh Nuggihalli, vice president and managing director for Pentair in the Middle East. “We are committed to local manufacturing in this region, which not only creates jobs and economic benefits, but offers greater efficiencies for customers and opportunities for collaboration.” Sulaiman Alrumaih, Vice President of Power and Industrial for the Ali Abdullah Al Tamimi Company said: “Our combined strength will help serve the growing needs of the energy and water sectors. Pentair’s proven operating processes are an excellent foundation to accelerate a strong manufacturing base in the Kingdom.”
Jacqueline Hinman
CH2M HILL announces CEO transition CH2M HILL has announced that Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Lee McIntire will step down as CEO effective January 1, 2014. McIntire, 64, will continue to serve as Chairman of the Board. The Board has appointed Jacqueline Hinman, 52, to serve as CEO effective January 1, 2014. She most recently served as President, CH2M HILL International and is presently a member of the Board of Directors. McIntire has been CEO since June 1, 2009. Hinman joined the firm in 1988. She has held numerous management positions during her tenure and has been involved as a key executive in many of CH2M HILL’s highest profile projects, such as the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games construction programme. She also served as Chairman and CEO of Halcrow Companies after CH2M HILL’s 2011 acquisition of the 6,000 person British-based firm.
ADDC aims for PAS 55 benchmark Abu Dhabi Distribution Company (ADDC) has chosen Black & Veatch to achieve certification to the asset management specification PAS 55. “ADDC is committed to supporting the government vision through worldclass service. Meeting the international specification for asset management will help show it has succeeded,” said Mazen Alami, managing director of Black & Veatch’s business in the Middle East. “PAS 55 is recognised around the world as a measure of asset management quality. We have helped many organisations achieve the performance required.” Black & Veatch will assess the company’s activities against PAS 55’s requirements. The company will work closely alongside ADDC’s teams to develop strategies and action plans to manage any changes that may be necessary.
POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
13
Roundup
14
IEA overhauls its energy data website
Eaton appoints BMTC as key UAE distributor
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has made available more than 20 years of data for more than 140 countries and regions worldwide online for the first time. Users of IEA’s website can now access IEA’s wealth of information on fuels, emissions, taxes, prices and more going back to 1990. The website features seven tables of critical data for each country and region, ranging from energy production trade and transformation to the final consumption by sub-sector. Moreover, many of the statistics are given as compound indicators, like electricity consumption per capita or energy-related CO2 emissions divided by GDP. The revamped website also features the innovative Sankey diagrams that will help users visualise energy transfers for the world, specific regions and individual countries.
Eaton has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with electrical and lighting sector solutions provider, Bahri & Mazroei Trading Co (BMTC), making it an Authorised Distributor for Eaton in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Esam Al Mazroei, managing director, BMTC. “Our collaboration with Eaton is unique and will help us meet our commitment towards our customers by providing trusted Circuit Protection solutions.” Eaton’s electrical business is a leading global player in power distribution and circuit protection; backup power protection; control and automation; lighting and security; structural solutions and wiring devices; solutions for harsh and hazardous environments; and engineering services.
ESIA assumes regional mantle
Invensys acquires InduSoft
UAE-based solar power association Emirates Solar Industry Association (ESIA) has re-branded itself as Middle East Solar Industry Association (MESIA). “When we initially started our operations we were only active in the Emirates. But as the solar sector has developed into a regional phenomenon, so have our operations. This is why the natural step for us was to rebrand at the Middle East Solar Industry Association, or MESIA. The feedback from our members has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Vahid Fotuhi, the President of MESIA. With over 120 member companies from across the Middle East and throughout the world, MESIA is the largest clean energy-focused association in the region. “Over the past two years, a tremendous amount of solar players have flocked into the UAE avid to gain a foothold in the regional solar power market,” said Marc Norman, MESIA’s Director of Marketing and Communication. “Our role is to provide an all-inclusive platform to empower all those that wish to contribute towards the development of a viable solar power market across the whole of the Middle East.”
Invensys, a leading supplier of state-of-the-art industrial software, systems and control equipment to the world’s major industries, has acquired InduSoft, a provider of HMI and embedded intelligent device software for the automation market. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, and founded in 1997, InduSoft has delivered more than 250,000 HMI software licenses to more than 700 customers worldwide, primarily industrial computer manufacturers and machine and system builders, who embed InduSoft’s software into their products. Ravi Gopinath, president of Invensys’ software business, said: “InduSoft strengthens and broadens our leading software solutions portfolio, particularly in the embedded HMI segment, and provides a continuing driver for growth.” Norm Thorlakson, vice president, HMI and supervisory software and solutions, Invensys added: “With InduSoft we can now offer everything from basic embedded HMI devices to manufacturing operations, asset management and ERP integration.”
POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
IN the region
• First order of 45,000 tonnes of rebar, of which 5,000 tonnes are Q-class • Emirates Steel’s Nuclear Quality System was developed based on ASME NCA 3800 requirements • Currently, more than 200 UAE companies now supply products and services to the programme
Engineer Saeed Ghumran Al Romaithi (left) and Mohamed Al Hammadi (right)
Emirates Steel makes first shipment of nuclear-grade steel to ENEC Highest quality class steel for nuclear safety related construction plays an important role in plant safety and security
T
he first shipment of UAE– produced nuclear grade reinforcing steel, produced by Emirates Steel Industries, was delivered to the Barakah site in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi last month. A delegation from Emirates Steel, led by Engineer Saeed Ghumran Al Romaithi, Chief Executive Officer, was welcomed by Mohamed Al Hammadi, Chief Executive Officer of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) to commemorate this significant milestone. Emirates Steel is the only steelmaker in the MENA region qualified to supply Q-class (nuclear quality) reinforcing steel to the UAE nuclear energy programme and the fourth company in the world to be qualified by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) to produce Nuclear Qualified reinforcing rebar. Over a two-year period, ENEC’s Industrial Development Team, a workgroup created to upgrade the quality and technical standards of UAE companies to enable them to tender for contracts within the UAE’s nuclear energy programme, collaborated with Emirates Steel to match its quality processes with the highest standards in the world and obtain ASME Material Organisation certification. “In the nuclear energy industry, there
is no greater priority than safety. To ensure the highest standards of safety in all aspects of our construction and operations, every product and every component must be of the highest quality standards. In order to achieve this, every supplier is subject to an extensive evaluation and assessment,” said Mohamed Al Hammadi, CEO of ENEC. “It took us more than two years to make the grade and to implement a nuclear quality system that would allow us to manufacture and supply nuclear quality products to the UAE peaceful nuclear energy program,” said Engineer Saeed Ghumran Al Romaithi, CEO of Emirates Steel. “This system was only developed to supply products to nuclear projects and can only be activated for nuclear orders.” Following the achievement of ASME certification, the first order of 45,000 tonnes of rebar, of which 5,000 tonnes are Q-class, were delivered to the project site. Further orders will be placed over the course of the next seven years as the construction of ENEC’s four nuclear energy plants progresses. Previously, the project received Q-class reinforcing steel from the Republic of Korea as no local manufacturers met the strict qualification criteria. Currently, more than 200 UAE companies supply products and services to the programme
with more than USD1 billion in contracts awarded to local companies to date. The reinforcing steel was tested by the ERICO International Corporation, a world leading manufacturer of engineered products designed for applications in the electrical, mechanical, commercial and industrial, rail and utility markets, to confirm that the steel is manufactured in accordance with ASME standards. ENEC’s rigorous Quality Assurance programme ensures the UAE’s first nuclear energy plants are designed, constructed, commissioned and operated in line with the best industry practices, governing codes and standards, as well as the strict regulations and license requirements outlined by the UAE’s independent nuclear energy regulatory body, the Federal Authority of Nuclear Regulation (FANR). Emirates Steel’s Nuclear Quality System was developed based on ASME NCA 3800 requirements with products complying with ASTM A615 Gr 60 and ASME CC 2300. Emirates Steel has also been awarded the certification to manufacture Grade B500B rebar and coil conforming to BS 4449:2005 by the UK Certification Authority for Reinforcing Steels (CARES). Located in Abu Dhabi, Emirates Steel is the only integrated steel producer in the UAE and one of the largest integrated steel producers in the GCC. POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
15
HARNESSING THE VORTEX Hydro International has been involved in the development of vortex technologies for more than 30 years.
T
he benefits of vortex technology for low- or energyfree operation, no moving parts, minimal maintenance and low lifetime costs have helped to transform stormwater and wastewater handling in USA, UK and internationally over the past 25 years. Global interest is growing, with many countries keen to exploit the technology’s potential to contribute to sustainable infrastructure projects and tackle urban flooding, treat polluted surface water or remove harmful sand and grit before it enters wastewater treatment works. Already, Hydro’s technologies are being adopted in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE and Qatar to prevent flooding on new transport infrastructure projects, as well as to protect new wastewater treatment works. Technology Development Hydro International has been involved at the forefront of the development of vortex (or hydrodynamic) technology from its earliest beginnings. As the understanding and engineering science has progressed, so has performance been refined with new technologies proving themselves particularly well suited to meet the modernday demands for sustainable solutions. The kinetic energy of a vortex in water is entirely derived from gravity. Rapid flow vortices have enough energy to generate an air core (like water draining from a bath or tank) while a more gentle flow can create a vortex in a chamber similar to stirring liquid in a saucepan. Low Cost, No Power The benefits of vortex technology derive from its low- or energy-free operation, no
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POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
Vortex
Chief Technology Officer, Bob Andoh explains how harnessing the power of a natural phenomenon can help deliver lowcost, sustainable solutions to control and treat stormwater and wastewater in the Middle East. moving parts, minimal maintenance and low lifetime costs. How does it work? In a rapid flow vortex, the whirlpool of water is fast enough in rotation to induce a core of pressurised air at the centre. By creating an air core in a pipe, the crosssectional area available for the water to flow through is significantly reduced and less water can flow. By controlling the size of the air core through careful geometrical design, the maximum sized outfall can be precisely engineered. Drop Shafts Drop shaft vortex flow controls were first developed by Hydro International’s founding engineers in the UK in the 1960s. Where stormwater or wastewater flows through a pipeline, designed with a vertical drop, the potential energy released in the drop can be destructive to the integrity of the pipeline and surrounding concrete structures.
Alternative solutions to dissipate the energy, such as a sloping pipeline or cascade systems, take up valuable space and are expensive to manufacture. By inducing the falling water to flow as a vortex, the energy can be dissipated without excess wear or vibration. The solution promises significant savings in cost and construction time over conventional methods and is ideal for countries with dry climates with a need to control flash flows from winter rain storms that threaten to cause intense winter flooding. Hydro Vortex DropTM Shaft technology is widely used for highway stormwater drainage, when channelling water for example from high levels on bridges or flyovers during peak rainfall can avoid surface water flooding by diverting excess flows rapidly to lower level drains. The same technology can also be successfully applied to safely control the flow of wastewater through large drops in sewer networks.
A Hydro Vortex DropTM Shaft was installed as part of a sewage infrastructure upgrade of the waterfront at Swansea, UK.
SPOTLIGHT / Hydro international Hydro-Brake® Flow Control One of the most widely-used examples of vortex technology for surface water management is in the Hydro-Brake® Flow Control. First introduced in the early 1980s there are now more than 30,000 installations worldwide, ranging from large scale river flood alleviation schemes through to surface water drainage schemes on domestic and commercial developments; maximum flows range from 2 to more than 2000 litres per second. The world’s largest Hydro-Brake® Flow Controls are installed as part of the City of Glasgow’s flood alleviation scheme to protect 1,750 properties in the south of the city from the risk of flooding from the White Cart river. Five Hydro-Brake® Flow Controls, up to 2.3m in diameter, are installed in three dams to hold back flood waters in temporary flood storage areas. Heavy rain and wind at the end of 2011 caused flooding across many parts of Scotland but these control measures are estimated to have prevented up to £11 million of flood damage to homes and businesses. Hydro-Brake® Flow Controls are often teamed with geo-cellular water storage devices to provide complete stormwater management solutions to control urban flooding. The essential design facets of a Hydro-
Installing one of the world’s largest Hydro-Brakes as part of Glasgow’s White Cart Flood Alleviation Scheme.
Brake® (or Reg-U-Flo® as it is known in North America) comprise the inlet, the volute and the outlet. When water flow through the inlet reaches a certain velocity, for example after a heavy rain storm, the volute induces
a vortex to form around an air core. Once this point is reached, the HydroBrake® rapidly reaches its maximum design flow to restrict discharge of water through the outlet, and water starts to back up upstream of the device. This technology has been widely exploited to control flooding by creating designed storage areas upstream of the ‘brake’. It takes longer to reach the maximum design flow in a Hydro-Brake® than the equivalent flow through conventional valves, penstocks and similar devices. This means Hydro-Brake® Flow Controls typically require at least 30% less storage than the equivalent flows through conventional valves, penstocks and similar devices. The latest designs of Hydro-Brake Optimum® outperform earlier designs by a further 15%. Because of its greater cross-sectional area, the Hydro-Brake® is much less likely to be blocked by plastic bags or other garbage carried with storm flows; compared with other valves or penstock devices. Thus a Hydro-Brake® can also be used in applications where such detritus is routinely encountered, like Combined Storm and Waste Water Sewer Overflows (CSOs). Stormwater Treatment Gentle vortex technology is widely employed in devices to reduce the sediment and silt loads in surface flow from highways and construction sites. This gentle vortex is induced by introducing water flow from the storm drain tangentially into a vessel or chamber so that the body of water rotates within the chamber. The outlet or discharge is located so that there is a net drop across the chamber is minimal, thus maintaining head. Hydro’s Downstream Defender® hydrodynamic separator has an arrangement of internal baffles, including a central cone and a benching skirt that facilitates the separation of fine and heavy particles and other pollutants from the storm water, and enables them to be collected in shielded and isolated sumps or regions for easy removal. The chamber is designed to ensure a steady, slow rotational speed of water over a wide range of inlet flows and water pressures. Its unique configuration resists flushing out the collected sediment during high-velocity flows, unlike a simple gully
Internal view of a Downstream Defender®
trap device where storm flows cause greater wash out. Site trials under tropical conditions have shown the Downstream Defender® is effective even in monsoon rainstorms, and the discharge can be used for irrigation, without settling ponds. Grit separation In both stormwater handling and water treatment works, entrained grits and sediments from wind-blown sand can seriously damage equipment and adversely affect settling and biological treatment processes. Hydro’s Grit King® Separators are extensively used to control sand and grit in wastewater treatment plants across Egypt and the technology looks set to be adopted at other sites across the region. The cost of remediation and premature wear to equipment such as pumps and valves may be very heavy, yet it is often regarded as unavoidable. However, applying vortex technology for grit removal can provide an effective solution that has low running costs and prolongs treatment plant life and may pay for itself in a matter of years. Hydro offers a range of solutions for Grit Removal including the Hydro Grit King® and the HeadCell®, based on vortex separation technologies.
HeadCell®
For further information contact Ezzat Natsheh, Hydro International’s Regional Business Manager for the MENA region. Tel: +971 557644961 /Email: enatsheh@hydro-int.com POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
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In the Region
GE to supply six new power plants to Algeria
• New power generation equipment to increase Algeria’s generating capacity by nearly 70% • Six new power plants to address long-term electricity needs • Power production facility will provide 1,000 jobs
Sonelgaz affiliate SPE and GE partner to add more than eight Gigawatts of power for Algeria
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ociété Algérienne de Production de l’Electricité (SPE), an affiliate of Sonelgaz and GE have entered into an agreement under which GE will supply power generation equipment and services for six new combined-cycle power plants. Together the plants will produce more than eight Gigawatts of electricity, billed to meet the requirements of over eight million households and add to the country’s energy capacity by nearly 70%. “This is undoubtedly the most important partnership of SPE in the history of power generation in Algeria. This will create a wealth-generating vision that goes beyond a simple power plant construction agreement,” said Nabil Kafi, CEO of SPE. “The project is an important step in realising Sonelgaz’s strategy which involves the implementation of a series of industrial partnerships that draw on the use of local resources.” GE is supplying 9F 3-series gas turbines with more than 200 installed worldwide and over 12 million operating hours. Fuelled by natural gas from local Algerian gas fields, the turbines will be equipped with GE’s latest Dry
A view of the capital city of Algiers. Energy demand in Algeria is growing at an average annual rate of approximately 14% and expected to touch 20GW by 2017.
Low NOx (DLN) dual-fuel combustion technology to reduce emissions, extend maintenance intervals, and enable the plants to operate more flexibly. The six plants are located in northern Algeria, in the provinces of Naama, Djelfa, Biskra, Khenchela, Mostaganem and Jijel. They will begin simple-cycle duty in 2015 and combined-cycle operation in 2017. Additionally, Sonelgaz and GE announced their intention to create a long-term joint venture to develop a new production facility in Algeria that will eventually produce more than 2GW of power generation equipment per year. The equipment will cater to the needs of future power plants. The new facility is expected to create, in due course, nearly 400 local skilled jobs and potentially more than 600 additional indirect jobs within the local supply chain.
Alstom bags contract worth USD 230 million in Saudi Arabia The company will supply steam turbine generators for the Shuqaiq power plant
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Nabil Habayeb, GE’s president & CEO for the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, said: “The new agreement in Algeria, which will further enhance the country’s power generation competencies, demonstrates our commitment to support the regional economies by meeting power requirements, which in turn promotes all core sectors of the economy. As in other countries where we have established longterm partnerships, we will continue to focus on technology transfer and human capital development in Algeria too.” In addition to supplying equipment for the new Sonelgaz affiliates plants, the power generation services will include new unit spares, technical direction and installation services and training to help increase the performance, flexibility and reliability of operations at the power plants.
lstom has secured another important contract in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia following its selection by lead contractor Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) to supply 4 x 720 MW steam turbine generator sets for the Shuqaiq project. The contract is valued at approximately USD 230 million (or €170 million). Hyundai Heavy Industries was awarded the turnkey contract by state utility Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) for the Shuqaiq power plant early August 2013. The plant is due to enter commercial operation in 2017. Alstom’s contract includes the engineering, manufacturing, supply and field services for all four steam turbines and generators, and will also include all direct control and auxiliary systems. The 2,650 MW power plant will be located on the Kingdom’s western
In the Region Red Sea coast and claims to be among the world’s most efficient facilities running on heavy fuel oil. With the Alstom machines at its core, Shuqaiq will help Saudi Arabia expand generation base whilst minimising environmental impact. The new contract comes just five months after Alstom was picked to supply 5 x 620 MW steam turbine, generators, supercritical boilers as well as electrostatic precipitators and flue gas desulphurisation systems for the Yanbu 3 plant in Saudi Arabia. “We are proud to be selected by HHI as partner for this large and important project. This second substantial order from Saudi Arabia this year underlines Alstom’s leading position in high efficiency steam turbine technologies,” said Andreas Lusch, Senior Vice President for Alstom’s steam business. Currently more than one-fifth of Saudi electricity is generated on equipment supplied by Alstom, including those for the Shoaiba thermal power plant. With a capacity of 5,600 MW, the Shoaiba plant is the biggest in the region.
Alstom has also supplied equipment for the giant 5,600MW Shoaiba Thermal Power Plant
Siemens bags substations deal worth USD 240 million in Kuwait
Adrian Wood, CEO of Siemens in Kuwait and Mohammad G. Al-Mutairi, CEO of KNPC, at the signing ceremony.
KNPC deal to ensure reliable power supply to new refinery complex
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iemens has been awarded a turnkey contract by the Kuwait National Petroleum Co (KNPC) to supply high-voltage substations at refineries south of the city of Kuwait. The project, valued at KWD 68.2 million (or approximately USD 240 million), will provide reliable power supply to two of KNPC’s biggest refineries. The project is scheduled for completion in December 2015. Under the contract, one of the largest for the Siemens Energy Transmission business in Kuwait, Siemens will supply and install a 132kV substation AHRF C at the Mina Al Ahmadi Refinery (MAA) and a 300/132kV substation MARF W at the Mina Abdulla Refinery (MAB), including high-voltage cable connections. The works will fit in with KNPC’s Clean Fuels Pro-ject, which will see a major upgrade and expansion of the MAA and MAB refineries to in-tegrate the company’s refining system into one refining
complex. The Clean Fuels Project seeks to make fuel production in Kuwait more environmentally-friendly. “Siemens is proud to be supplying the latest high-voltage technology to KNPC,” said Adrian Wood, CEO of Siemens EES, the Kuwaiti unit of Siemens. “This project will both enhance and make sure a reliable power supply is available to help Kuwait meet its future market demand for transport fuels by 2020, as it seeks to increase processing capacity at its refine-ries.” KNPC and Siemens have had a longstanding partnership dating back to 1975. Prior to this contract, Siemens supplied many industrial steam turbines and compressors to KNPC for use in their oil refinery projects, and implemented substation works at Mina Abdulla Refinery (MAB), Mina Al Ahmadi Refinery (MAA) and part of the New Acid Gas Revamp Project (AGRP).
“Our partnership with KNPC aims to assist the company in meeting its expansion goals by using the most efficient power transmission systems from Siemens,” said Wolfgang Braun, Head of Siemens Power Transmission Middle East. “This contract will provide the latest high-voltage substations to KNPC to help it mitigate losses and boost profitability by ensuring minimal downtime at its refineries.” The KNPC deal adds to a flurrry of contracts won by Siemens in the Gulf region’s power sector this year. In July, Saudi Aramco awarded Siemens a contract to supply key components for a major combined-cycle power plant in Jazan in the southwest of Saudi Arabia. Between May and June, Siemens bagged four major power sector deals in the Gulf region – two in the UAE and two in Saudi Arabia involving the supply of gas turbines and sub-stations.
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In the Region
Middle East struggles with energy trilemma The region performs poorly on emission and energy intensity fronts, notes new World Energy Council (WEC) report. The GCC currently suffers from low amounts of diversity in electricity production.
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2013 ENERGY SUSTAINABILITY INDEX RANKING AND BALANCE SCORE (GULF CO-OPERATION COUNCIL) ccording to the results Index Country Balance Energy Energy Environmental of the 2013 Energy score security equity sustainability Sustainability Index, which 18 Qatar AAC 8 9 95 forms part of the World Energy 38 Bahrain AAD 23 19 125 Council’s (WEC) 2013 World Energy Trilemma report, countries in the 44 UAE BBD 49 37 102 Middle East & North Africa (MENA) 51 Saudi Arabia ABD 45 12 124 region continue to struggle with 62 Oman ACD 78 20 120 balancing the energy trilemma, with 66 Kuwait BCD 73 28 122 moderate energy security, good Note: High performers receive a score of ‘AAA’, while countries that do not yet perform well receive a ‘DDD’ score. The levels of energy equity and poor ranking is in the descending order. SOURCE: 2013 Energy Sustainability Index performances on the environmental sustainability dimension. This balance report ascribes to affordable electricity initiating the construction of its second worsened in 2013 as energy security and gasoline, often subsidised or fixed at nuclear power plant), it is hoped that and environmental sustainability artificially low prices by the government. the Gulf’s track record on the carbon performance declined even though Access to electricity in the region is high emission and sustainable development energy equity improved. with the exception of Yemen, but is rarely front improves. Despite the vast strategic oil reserves 100%. But the report also underlines The 2013 Energy Sustainability that most of these countries keep, energy the fact that low cost energy doesn’t Index shows that developed countries security in the region, which includes incentivise energy efficiency or the with higher shares of energy coming eight of the 12 OPEC countries, remains reduction of energy consumption – and from low- and zero-carbon energy average, partly due to high five year the region’s environmental sustainability sources supported by well-established energy consumption growth rates, high performance reflects this. Emission energy-efficiency programmes, such economic dependence on energy exports and energy intensity both continue as Switzerland, Denmark and Sweden, (especially among the GCC countries), and to increase and remain the worst in outperform most countries across all currently very low amounts of diversity the world. Meanwhile, CO2 emissions three dimensions of the energy trilemma. in the sources of electricity production, from electricity generation also remain Nevertheless, it is clear that all countries which is almost exclusively fossil fuelled. extraordinarily high, with virtually no use still struggle to balance all three aspects However, some of the traditionally oil of either nuclear power or renewables at of the trilemma’s currently conflicting reliant Gulf countries, such as Saudi the moment. agendas. Only five countries in the top Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are However, with all the GCC countries 10 have been awarded a ‘AAA’ score addressing the lack of diversity in their announcing targets for renewable energy with Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, electricity fuel mixes by developing the as a percentage of energy mix (where the the United Kingdom and Spain being use of renewables and nuclear. UAE leads the way with the 100 MW Shams the only countries that historically On the plus side, energy equity 1 Solar Thermal Power Plant) and Saudi demonstrate their ability to manage the remains the strongest of the three energy Arabia and the UAE pursuing nuclear trade-offs between the three competing dimensions in the MENA region, which the power generation (with the UAE already dimensions equally. 20
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AT lARGE
Emerson agrees to purchase Virgo Valves and Controls Virgo will operate within Emerson Process Management’s final controls business, serving customers in the energy and process-related industries
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merson announced that it has signed an agreement to purchase Virgo Valves and Controls, a leading manufacturer of ball valves and automation systems based in Pune, India. A privately held company, Virgo serves diverse markets worldwide, including the oil and gas, power and mining industries. In addition to ball valves, Virgo also manufactures high performance butterfly valves and severe-service valves for critical applications. Virgo will operate within Emerson Process Management’s final controls business, serving customers in the energy and process-related industries. ‘Virgo’s leadership in the engineered, on-off valve market is a great strategic fit within our business and strongly complements our Fisher control valve business,’ said Steve Sonnenberg, Emerson’s executive vice president who heads its Emerson Process Management segment. ‘Their ‘customer first’ focus on meeting or exceeding customer expectations in innovation,
Steve Sonnenberg, Executive Vice President, Emerson & Business Leader, Emerson Process Management
quality, performance and on-time delivery aligns perfectly with the solutions that customers have come to expect from Emerson. We are excited about the synergy between our two companies and the opportunities for global business growth.’ Mahesh Desai, co-founder and chairman of Virgo, citing the advantages of Virgo being part of Emerson, said: ‘The alliance with Emerson, and in particular the Fisher line of products, is a continuation of our growth as a global brand. We appreciate the support of customers, employees and other stakeholders that have been part of our company.’ Since starting operations in 1986, Virgo has focused on the manufacture and sales of engineered on-off valve products, and today has manufacturing locations in Europe, the United States and India. Its sales in more than 60 countries last year were about USD 250 million, more than 80% outside India. The deal is expected to close early next month.
GE, memsys achieve technology milestone Membrane distillation technology replicates conventional thermal evaporation process while using less energy.
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fter 200 hours of continuous operation at a Texas-based commercial disposal well, GE and memsys clearwater announced success for a new vapour compressor-driven membrane distillation (MD) system. The new system, which is used to concentrate produced water from the hydraulic fracturing process, was designed to reduce produced water disposal costs and enable water reuse. The joint project demonstrated that MD combined with vapour compression can handle the high-salinity produced waters associated with unconventional gas exploration and production. The field test has yielded positive results, which include: • 100% process up time without any noticeable decline in performance or need for cleaning. • Stable performance with brine concentrations near saturation. • Lower energy consumption compared to conventional technology. • High distillate quality. “As the cost of brine concentration comes down it will enable more sustainable treatment options compared to trucking and deep well disposal,” said Bill Heins, general manager, thermal products—water and process technologies for GE Power & Water. “Since the cleaned water from the process can be reused it also will reduce the amount of fresh water needed per well, thereby
further reducing costs and ecological impact.” With the project complete, the companies plan to continue to demonstrate this technology in other geographies and applications, as well as scaling up the process. “The ability to treat even the most challenging wastewaters with our process in combination with a vapour compressor, instead of the normally used waste heat, increases the number of possible applications even further,” said Götz Lange, CEO of memsys. “GE has been an excellent partner on this technological breakthrough, and we look forward to continuing commercialising this technology for produced water treatment for the oil and gas industry. In this context, memsys is increasing the production volume for its modules eight-fold, sufficient for the installation of up to 50,000 m3/day water treatment capacity annually, which will be used across all possible applications for the memsys process.” GE and memsys entered into an agreement in 2012 to jointly develop MD technology for the fast-growing unconventional resources marketplace, including shale gas, coal seam gas and other unconventional fuels recovered by hydraulic fracturing. Under the terms of the agreement, GE will invest in testing the technology and in return receive an exclusive license for the use of the technology in these applications. POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
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INDUSTRY NOTES
Taking care of power transformers Alstom Grid brings its mobile transformer workshop and HV test solutions to the region By Anoop K Menon
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ast month, Alstom Grid launched its Transformer Field Repair facility in the UAE. The facility, which will be stationed in Dubai Industrial City, comprises a mobile workshop for repairing or upgrading power transformers and mobile HV test unit for performing high voltage test validations. This advanced onsite solution is designed to support condition assessment and diagnostics while allowing staff to conduct major repairs including invasive work, replacement or redesign of the active part’s main components including winding replacement. “We decided to set up a field service facility for transformers here in Dubai because it gives us tremendous flexibility to attend to client’s requirements and make the duration of the repair shorter,” said Jan Masschelin, Vice President of Grid Service, Alstom Grid. “If a customer has a problem with a transformer unit or wants to test it, taking the unit out, transporting it to a workshop, either locally or overseas and bringing it back to the site is costly and takes up lot of time. Our mobile facility offers onsite what we provide in our offsite workshops.” A mobile facility also eliminates the use of heavy transport and enables maintenance and testing to be performed in remote areas, under difficult weather conditions or even regulatory constraints where applicable. “Though the transmission & distribution infrastructure in the region is fairly new, transformer failures are high because they are subject to much higher ambient temperatures. Transformer life is halved for every six degrees centigrade increase in operating temperature. As a result, many units here are approaching the end of their lifetime. Instead of waiting for the transformer to fail or explode, we want to help the clients, do preventive maintenance and testing to avoid these incidents,” explained Masschelin. The mobile workshop unit, made of large steel structure and cladding, can service all types of large and special transformers up to 400 kV and 500 MVA. Extended repairs or upgrades are carried out under controlled ambient conditions similar to clean and orderly workshop environment. The unit is also equipped with advanced drying equipment, heavy lifting equipment/ mobile crane and tooling developed in association with Alstom’s transformer factories and workshops. Repair and retrofit services include comprehensive work in the active part with windings and insulation components replacement. Modification and redesign for performance improvement include rated power, voltage and thermal upgrade. The mobile testing unit comprises containerised HV test set with variable frequency drives to perform tests between
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Jan Masschelin
40 and 200 Hz and advanced HV check and test equipment. The services offered include advanced condition assessment during maintenance outage, advanced fault investigation after failure and validation of performance and reliability of onsite repair, refurbishment and upgrade. The mobile facility can help reduce downtime and loss of availability when a spare transformer is not available. The round trip involved in repairing a damaged transformer offsite can be as much as three to four months. Where the transformer is critical to the client’s industrial operations or a utility’s network, a downtime of three-to-four months represents a lot money. A mobile workshop can shorten the time for repair by as much. Moreover, the client also saves on transportation costs and associated risks. Masschelin said: “In fact, transport can be up to 30% of the total repair cost. The overall cost savings using our onsite unit compared to an off-site facility can be 20-30%.” The services aren’t restricted to Alstom Grid’s transformers. The facility can also take care of third party transformers. Masschelin pointed out that Alstom Grid’s certified field service experts have developed complementary skills including onsite major works project management skills and they regularly co-ordinate with Alstom Transformers Centres of Excellence. He continued: “Our mobile solution takes advantage of our decades of experience as a transformer manufacturer,” said Masschelin. “This facility is unique in the region because our competitors have invested mainly in in offsite workshops. If the client’s site is close to workshop, that is great; otherwise, it is not interesting.” Apart from power transmission, Alstom Grid is also looking to tap opportunities in power generation and oil and gas sectors. The first contract in the pipeline for the Dubai facility is from one of the leading oil & gas companies in the Gulf region.
POWER AND WATER
POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
POWER AND WATER
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SECTOR REPORT
Small is big
Global production of PV cells A up by 10%
US powers ahead as most attractive country for small and medium-sized nuclear reactors.
Europe continues to account for 51.7% of installed capacity worldwide.
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lobal production of photovoltaic (PV) cells grew by 10% in 2012 compared to 2011 despite a nine per cent decline in solar energy investments. According to the annual ‘PV Status Report’ released by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, Europe continued to lead newly installed capacities accounting for 51.7% (16.8 GW) of the 30 GW installed worldwide. Production of PV cells and modules has increased from 46 MW in 1990 to 38.5 GW in 2012. Statistically documented cumulative installations worldwide accounted for almost 100 GW in 2012 placing the EU in the lead position with its share of over 69 GW. According to the report, abundant solar resources in combination with zero emissions from solar installations have given PV energy systems a key role in the transition to a low carbon energy supply. This potential has driven development of more efficient PV modules and transformed the sector into one of the fastest growing industries. Within the EU, Germany is the leader in PV installation with an additional 7.6 GW in 2012, while Italy’s newly installed 3.5 GW enabled the country to meet 7.3% of the total electricity demand during the first seven months of 2013. A steep, 80% drop of solar modules prices between 2008 and 2012, triggered by an overcapacity of production, created serious financial problems for manufacturers, but led to a consolidation of the industry and fuelled an extensive growth for the PV market in Asia: 60% in 2012 and a projected 100% in 2013. The rise in annual production has resulted in China and Taiwan accounting for 70% of the global production.
t a time of increasing global demand for electricity and an ongoing need for safe, reliable and economical sources of energy, the US has proven itself the most attractive country for the construction of additional small and medium-sized reactors (SMR), according to a new report from research and consulting firm GlobalData. The company’s latest report states that out of the 10 countries identified by GlobalData as representing the best conditions for new SMR installations, including Brazil, China, India, Russia and Canada, the US tops the leader board thanks to its rankings in terms of population density, energy consumption, carbon emissions and experience with SMR technologies. Despite the limited growth of the country’s nuclear power installed capacity between 2000 and 2012, which increased from 97,256 MW to 101,465 MW at an Average Annual Growth Rate (AAGR) of 0.4%, its capacity is now expected to rise at a higher AAGR of 0.8% to 113,769 MW by 2025. Nuclear power generation in the US is also expected to increase at an AAGR of one per cent to hit 905 TWh in 2025, displaying a growth trajectory that will parallel that of nuclear installed capacity. GlobalData believes that positive public opinion will be the key driver behind this increase. Pranav Srivastava, GlobalData’s Associate Analyst covering Power, says: “Despite the seriousness of the Japanese Fukushima disaster in 2011, public opinion surrounding nuclear power development in the US remains positive, proving that there is, and will continue to be, a high level of support for future SMR construction across the country.” The US government is also lending its support to the installation of additional SMRs by investing heavily in research and development (R&D) for new reactor technologies and funding half the costs of the design and construction of an upcoming new plant. “What’s more, the government has decided to back the development of the Next Generation Nuclear Power Plant (NGNP) in an effort to promote highly beneficial Generation IV reactors, providing a further substantial boost to US nuclear power development,” the analyst noted.
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ON THE RECORD
Proving ground In October last year, First Solar was selected by the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) to construct a 13 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant as part of Phase 1 of AED 12 billion Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. Apart from providing engineering, procurement and construction services, First Solar is also installing its advanced thin-film PV modules in the plant. Matt Merfert, EPC Director at First Solar spoke to Anoop K Menon on the challenges and lessons learned from the company’s first large-scale PV project in the region.
In Photovoltaic (PV) versus Concentrating Solar Plant (CSP) debate, and now in the context of successful implementation of Shams 1 CSP project, some of the points cited against PV include intermittence, storage-related issues, dispatchability and difficulties in combining solar PV power plants with existing fossil fuel technology. How valid are these observations? All renewable energy generating plants are intermittent because of the nature of the fuel source. It doesn’t matter whether you are concentrating the source or converting them directly to electricity or using the energy for thermal generation, the fuel sources, whether solar or wind, are equally intermittent. The power output of the plants have different variability and characteristics but they aren’t completely random. The modern power grid is so designed that when you flip on a switch, the energy is there. When you turn it off, you aren’t using that power anymore. 26
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If you think of variable generators as negative load, the generation in the balancing area of the grid would be able to compensate for that. So if a cloud passes over a PV plant, for example, to the other generators on the grid it looks like somebody flipped on a load. There is an inherent flexibility to grids and the UAE’s grid - which is 98% gas turbine-based - is extremely reliable and flexible. In fact, the country has some of world’s best statistics on the hours of downtime per year which means they have a very large degree of redundancy and spinning reserve. If the grid is inherently very stable, PV generators actually help stabilise it further in a variety of ways. When it comes to dispatchability, we cannot push a button and ask the sun to come out or the wind to start blowing. But with our advanced SCADA controls, we can do many other things. That includes ramp rate control - so if the sun is behind the clouds and it comes out all of a sudden, we can pre-program the plant to
have a very smooth and controlled ramp up, which helps avoids a sudden spike in power injected into the grid. We can have dynamic, static or reactive power, injection or absorption. The PV inverters, sans spinning parts or mass, have an inherent capability to do voltage compensation. So wherever located, they actually strengthen the local grid. We can also do forecasting with a very high degree of accuracy. In the US, we are building power plants with PV greater than 500 MW a piece; in such cases, it is very important to provide forecasts to the grid operators. So we have weather predictions using a combination of satellite imagery and ground-based sensors to get very accurate day ahead, hour ahead and 15 minute forecasting. For a very large plant, if the local grid operator needs to know ahead to ramp up some extra spinning reserve, we can provide them with advance information. While storage is a great thing, the question the grid operator or owner or
ON THE RECORD
the country should be thinking about is: what do you need it for? Storage is very expensive and adds to the cost of the solar power plant. In fact, if storage were cheap, we would be storing energy from coal or even gas and putting it back in at peak times but nobody is doing it. The only real commercialised storage technology is pumped hydro which is very limited in terms of geography and topography. If we consider the examples of mature markets like California or Germany that have achieved a high degree of penetration of renewable power generation, the local balancing areas have over 20% renewable generation but haven’t felt the need to integrate storage at the utility scale. This tells you that the inherent flexibility of the grid is able to compensate for a certain degree of variability. On the other hand, in an off-grid village, where the only power source is PV, and they want electricity 24/7, you would definitely need storage. When we are looking at utility grid connected renewable sources, the biggest determining factor should be Levelised Cost of Electricity (LCOE). PV is winning that battle, the proof being the approximately 100 GW of PV deployed in the world today compared to three gigawatts of CSP. Could you elaborate on the significance of LCOE? LCOE is how power generatiors looks at the cost of their product - this is a very important benchmark and includes capex, opex, cost of capital, the lifetime of the plant and the renewable resource. In a mature PV market like Germany, you have plants that offer EUR1/W which is a quarter of the cost and capex of CSP plants. The published purchase price for Shams 1 was USD 600 million for a 100 MW plant which works out to USD 6/W. If you look at the opex, we have no moving parts like turbines and almost zero water consumption. The rule of thumb is you only need one operator and one technician for every 20 MW throughput. This is a paradigm shift when you compare it to conventional generation where you have technicians all over the place, lights, fences and heavy machines operating at high temperatures and velocities that require maintenance.
In many countries, there is also a subsidy element associated with renewable energy. Does this have a bearing on LCOE calculations? Of course, subsidies have to be taken into account. At the same time, we as a company, are really excited to be in new markets where subsidies are absent. We call them sustainable markets. PV is actually providing a direct benefit to the grid today because it is cost competitive with conventional generation sources. How have you tackled issues related to soil conditions, dust storms, humidity that are prevalent here? The ultimate production of the PV plant depends on its environment – along with heat, dust is a major factor which is taken to an extreme in markets like the Middle East, North Africa and India. Dust affects PV plants in many ways and has to be taken into account. The most obvious issue is that dust can collect on the module collector surface and decrease the amount of sunlight that gets through to the semiconductor material. However, PV is less dependent on the soiling problem than CSP. As PV directly converts photons to electrons, it can harvest scattered, ambient and reflected light. With CSP, direct beam radiance is important. But if you have a lot of dust in the air, you are only getting scattered light and cannot concentrate that on to a point. While production may go down a bit in PV’s case, we can still harvest those photons to an extent which is a key differentiator and advantage. Soiling comes into play in other layers of design as well. It is important to ensure that electrical enclosures are well-sealed or indoors, in a sheltered space with positive pressure so you don’t get dust ingress or particulates. This is also important for the health and safety of the workers. In fact, we shut down work when a dust storm comes through. Dust can also add to the corrosion of exposed metallic parts. The deserts here have very high alkaline chemistry for the soils. Alkalinity combined with water sitting on metal parts can accelerate corrosion. So we pay very close attention to using things
like stainless steel, powder coating and very heavy galvanisation to prevent corrosion. Finally, on a macro level, dust aggregates into sand dunes and sand dunes shift over time. You could move sand dunes to prepare your site but it will be interesting to see, over time, if any of those dunes come back where they were. Again, this should be a serious consideration if you are looking at site selection and operations & maintenance. How can solar PV plants contribute to local value addition? A PV power plant is actually a fairly simple engineered product. I would say the two most complicated components are the inverter and the PV module itself. Outside of that, nearly everything can be localised. Because of the construction activity in Dubai, there is an abundance of concrete and steel. Moreover, we use the same equipment as traditional power industry including conductors, transformers and switchgear. The value that can be created is interesting because localisation also has a multiplier effect. Even though there is no mandatory requirement for localisation in the UAE, we are proud to say that we have achieved 50% localisation across the whole EPC turnkey power plant. That was achieved without subcontractors and suppliers being necessarily ready for it. We helped them through the learning curve. In the case of PV, you can localise up to 20% almost anywhere; after that, you have to go on a case by case basis. Talking about codes, could you elaborate on the significance of DC/AC ratio for solar PV plants? DC/AC ratio is essentially DC power measured against the AC power. The DC power in a PV plant is defined as the sum of the name plates of the PV modules. The modules create DC electricity. You add up the AC rating of the inverters to get the AC nameplate. In the experienced markets of Europe and the US, we typically see a DC/ AC ratio of 1.2 to 1. This means if you have 1 MW of AC, you will have 1.2 MW of DC PV modules behind it. The engineering gets a little bit detailed, but we found it actually contributes to a better performing plant in terms of LCOE. POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
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COVER STORY
Enemy at the gates Critical infrastructure industries like utilities and oil & gas need to secure themselves against cyber-attacks. By Anoop K Menon
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ritical infrastructure industries like utilities and oil & gas that rely heavily on Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and industrial control systems to run their operations are finding themselves vulnerable to cyber-attacks. These systems have come under increased scrutiny following the discovery of the Stuxnet malware in 2010 and DuQu in 2011. Stuxnet was a wakeup call for the industrial automation world which regarded itself as relatively secure from cyber security threats that kept their enterprise colleagues awake at night. The automation industry’s focus on reliability and safety than security made them easy targets to exploit. Stuxnet and DuQu have been followed by new malware like Nitro and Nightdragon, designed to steal sensitive data from the chemical and energy industries. In the past, industrial control networks used proprietary protocols that isolated them from the public network. However, companies have always been looking for seamless information sharing between the plant and the enterprise to increase the flexibility and efficiency of their production. The convergence of industrial networks to Ethernet/IP provided a single communications platform for connecting the enterprise to the plant floor. On the flip side, this convergence exposes industrial networks to the same security vulnerabilities as their enterprise counterparts. On February 14, 2012, security researchers from Project Basecamp released Metasploit exploits targeting a flaw in the implementation of Ethernet/IP. The security hole, if left unaddressed, could enable a remote attacker to crash
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COVER STORY
or unexpectedly reboot the devices, which are critical components of almost every industrial and critical infrastructure installation. “As Ethernet is an open standard, you will see the same issues and threats found in other applications with the same standard,” says Hedwig Maes, President - EMEA, Rockwell Automation. “Hence, it is important for companies to take the necessary steps to protect their industrial networks against these threats.” The demand for integration, the requests for reports and production optimisation throws up security challenges for the operations side. “There is the risk of loss of proprietary data from the process environment, machine stoppages or breakdowns due to external attacks but the biggest risk is from the inside from unintended or malicious actions of individual or groups,” says Thomas Lenzen, IT Principal, Sohar Aluminium who is spearheading the network integration efforts at the Oman-based aluminium giant. For a process automation user, key security concerns tend to be production uptime, control system operational integrity, user access control, and disaster recovery including production data and Intellectual Property (IP) protection, Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and enterprise risk management. “Regulation is also a key driver of industrial security,” said Maes. “Some industries spend more on the compliance side which reflects itself in strong disaster plans. Even regional differences come into play here with some regions according less priority to security but this is changing.” But when does an organisation actually start integrating security? “Security should not be treated as an afterthought or as an add-on,” advises Osama Rasoul, Sales Manager, Network Architectures at Cisco Systems. “It should be well planned on an architecture level with a road map so that you can enhance security as you move forward. In fact, the network should have integrated platform for security at the access points. However, you have to start with proper security policies before starting with technology.” Maes added: “Industrial security is a multi-layer approach, a combination of technologies and policies. There is no one single technology, product or methodology that can take care of everything”. Key differences However, a single communications platform doesn’t mean a single security policy for enterprise and industrial IT. There are several points of difference between the two, starting with data traffic – in the case of IT networks, it is mainly data, voice and video; in industrial networks, it is data, information, control, safety and motion. The latter is more sensitive to latency and speed. IT responsibilities include protecting company assets and intellectual property (IP) and this is accomplished by implementing and enforcing an enterprise security policy to protect data confidentiality, integrity and availability, in that order. Industrial security policy places availability as top priority POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
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COVER STORY – so policy enforcement protects data availability, integrity and confidentiality, in that order. Enterprise and industrial security policies also differ in terms of how they handle upgrades. For enterprise applications like operating system, application software patching and anti-virus definition updates, users conduct upgrades as soon as possible. However, industrial security policies define upgrades as a scheduled activity during downtimes. In the case of a real threat, with IT networks, it is possible to isolate the threat and troubleshoot. But the same is not possible with industrial networks as it not possible to shut down the plant. So the facility has to be keep operating with the detected threat, which has be dealt with later. From a security standpoint, both networks aim Cyber- attacks target energy sector for security and control, but IT is most restricted The Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICSon the control, authentication and authorisation. CERT) works to reduce risks within and across all critical infrastructure While industrial networks are a bit easy on control, sectors in the US. they are extremely strict with regard to the physical In fiscal year 2012, ICS-CERT responded to 198 cyber incidents across access to these devices. all critical infrastructure sectors. Of these, 41% were in the energy Last but not the least, enterprise IT security sector compared to all other sectors. These incidents represented a is pervasive while industrial security is open by wide variety of threats ranging from Advanced Persistent Threats (APT), default but closed by configuration. Designing to sophisticated and common malware found in the ICS environment. and deploying a robust and secure network Other incidents in the water and commercial sectors involved Internetinfrastructure requires a well-planned road map, facing systems with weak or default credentials. which takes into consideration the differences In the first half of fiscal year 2013, (October 1, 2012–May 2013), the two networks, the data flow– which data ICS-CERT has responded to over 200 incidents across all critical needs to be at which level, and separation of infrastructure sectors. The highest percentage of incidents reported industrial network from the enterprise network. to ICS-CERT occurred, again, in the energy sector at 53%. The critical Rasoul recommends a ‘defence-in-depth’ manufacturing sector follows with 17% of reported incidents. The security approach to protect industrial assets. majority of these incidents involved attacker techniques such as “The basic recommendation is segregation of the watering hole attacks, SQL injection, and spear-phishing attacks. networks with a demilitarised zone (DMZ) providing a buffer zone between the enterprise and industrial zones,” he said. “The DMZ acts as termination point for all network traffic from either side; in other words, there is firewalls) within the DMZ. This approach permits the industrial no direct data traffic between the two zones.” zone to function entirely on its own, irrespective of the Standards like ISA 95 and ISA S99 help drive commonality, connectivity status to the higher levels. consistency and standards of operation within control systems “Even within the lower levels, we have cell/area zones where at risk. Both ISA-95 and the Purdue Reference Model for Control we have domains of trust between devices, processes, and hierarchy segment industrial devices into hierarchical levels segregate different types of trusted domains. We have multiple of operations within a industrial facility. Using levels as a technologies like Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP) to ensure common terminology breaks down and determines plant-wide communication is secure,” added Osama. ISA 99 segments each information flow. level into zones that establish domains of trust for security ISA 95 segments industrial control devices into hierarchical access and smaller LANs to shape and manage network traffic. “levels” of operations within an industrial facility. Levels 0, Cell/Area zones with dedicated Virtual LANs or VLAN and IP 1 and 2 are the levels of process control, Level 3 is the level Subnet segment network traffic, help restrict broadcast and of MES (manufacturing execution system) activities. Levels multicast traffic and simplifies security management. 4 and 5 include traditional enterprise IT networks, business While network traffic from both sides terminates in the DMZ, applications such as email and enterprise resource planning to enable data and services to be shared securely, the Industrial (ERP), and wide area networks (WAN). To preserve smooth zone applications replicate data to an application mirror within plant-wide operations and functioning of the systems and the DMZ, and users then replicate the data from the application network, the industrial zone requires isolation and protection mirror to an application within the enterprise zone. The DMZ from the Enterprise Zone via security devices (network is also a demarcation line for segmenting network traffic and 30
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COVER STORY security policies between the two zones and segmenting network services like Quality of Service (QoS), VLANS and Multicast traffic. Osama pointed out that in industrial networks, addressing the physical security of the port is extremely important before one can start talking about access to configuring that port. However, on the IT side, security starts the minute one connects to the network. He continued: “You don’t wait for the traffic to pass through the security boundaries like the firewalls and intrusion prevention systems. You have to be authorised, authenticated the minute you connect. We may tag the traffic or encrypt it and determine where you can go and what you can do.” As part of the efforts to segregate enterprise and industrial networks, the security policy at Sohar Aluminium includes device hardening where unused or infrequently used USB ports and Ethernet ports are blocked to stop people from plugging any device into these ports. “We have made this impossible on the operations floor to the point that our automation engineers are only able to interact with the system via a central server. Files are exchanged via the DMZ or staging server,” said Lenzen. Sohar has also restricted access levels in terms of maintenance view, engineering view and administrator view. Othman Al Balushi, Automation Superintendent, said: “Maintenance can only view and after identifying the problem, need to go out and resolve it; engineers do the actual programming, modification of the PLCs; the administrator has the overall rights.” In the end, it is important to understand that merely installing firewalls doesn’t guarantee security of industrial assets. Only a comprehensive security model which utilises multiple layers of defence (physical and electronic) at separate
“Integrated security is a combination of technologies and policies, and the two need to come together” industrial levels through the application of policies and procedures that address different types of threats can help protect industrial assets. This includes device hardening (restrictive access), application security (authentication, authorisation), computer hardening (patch management, antivirus software, removal of unused applications, protocols and services), Network security (firewalls with intrusion detection and intrusion prevention systems, integrated protection of networking equipment such as switches and routers) and physical security (limit physical access to areas, control panels, devices, cabling and control room, track visitors). “Integrated security is a combination of technologies and policies, and the two need to come together,” said Maes. “It is also multi-layered where you start with network security, product security, application security and in these different layers, in your policies, you also define different mitigation of risks and disaster recovery plans. If your security is well defined and designed, the chances of a complete failure are very low. From that perspective, the benefits are much higher than disadvantages for non-integrated safety.”
Workforce not to be at disadvantage ABI Research estimates that cyber security spending for critical infrastructure will hit USD 46 billion globally by the end of 2013. Increased spending over the next five years will be driven by a growing number of policies and procedures in education, training, research and development, awareness programs, standardisation work, and cooperative frameworks among other projects. At the same time, one of the key challenges that critical infrastructures are facing is educating and certifying a workforce that need to possess the knowledge, skills and abilities to securely deploy and maintain process control systems. Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC), a leading provider of cyber security certifications, and representatives from a global industry collaborative have therefore formed a community initiative to establish an open body of knowledge for Process Control Design and Information Technology Security. The objective of the collaborative, involving organisations which design, deploy, operate, and maintain industrial
automation and control system infrastructure, is to develop a vendor-neutral certification to be known as the Global Industrial Cyber Security Professional (GICSP) which will be available to candidates in late November 2013. “Managing cyber risk is an issue effecting the entire energy industry ecosystem and in order to effectively implement and sustain security controls on industrial infrastructure, we’re all reliant on a complex ecosystem of people (system vendors, project engineering contractors, process operators, IT service providers and maintenance/support personnel) who require a blended set of IT/Engineering/Cyber Security competencies – a skill-pool which is unique and scarce in today’s marketplace,” said Tyler Williams, Manager, PCD IT Security Solutions at Shell and Chair of the industry consortium. “Developing and maintaining this workforce can be a challenge for any one organisation and that is why we support this collaborative effort to establish a community developed body of knowledge and certification program for industrial cyber security.”
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TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION
Switchgears and Sustainability Enabling smart grids isn’t the only concern of utilities at the moment – environmental responsibility is also moving up the agenda
By Sundeep Singh
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he energy transmission and distribution industry is evolving. For switchgear customers, distribution automation and environmental responsibility are now high on the agenda, alongside the traditional requirements of performance, reliability, safety and cost. However, as the lifetime of switchgear is often 30 years or more, technology R&D must be both innovative and pragmatic – meeting demands for automation and load-related growth, while allowing for the refurbishment of, and integration with, existing assets. The smart grid distribution network is a critical goal for utilities in helping to manage our electricity needs – now and in the future. Utilities have an increasing need to understand the load on their network and improve their ability to share the load in real time between different networks in order to minimise the disruption of power supply. The ultimate aim is to improve reliability, to increase efficiency and capacity, to help reduce energy wastage. Our job, as a specialist in secondary distribution solutions, is to develop the next generation technology that will help utilities to meet this goal. Just 15 years ago switchgear could only be manually managed on-site. Now, utilities with SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems have extensive control over transmission, and increasing control over distribution equipment from remote locations. The goal of distribution automation is real-time adjustment to changing loads, generation, and failure conditions of the distribution system, without operator intervention. By providing a better understanding of network loading and an opportunity to manage the varying load quickly, by controlling field devices remotely, distribution automation technology is becoming increasing attractive to utilities and network operators beginning major smart grid deployments.
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Indeed, global spending on intelligent electricity distribution systems rose seven per cent last year to reach USD13.9 billion. Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) notes that a further steady 10% growth is expected to see the market worth USD25.2 billion by 2018. Despite this potential, utilities’ number one challenge remains justifying the business case; the scope, complexity and costs of the IT investments necessary means each step of deployment requires careful cost-benefit analysis. It is critical, therefore, that switchgear being developed and deployed today is automation ready, ensuring easy integration with existing networks, while not compromising future smart grid developments. Furthermore, as switchgear has long life cycles, many utilities currently have a significant installed base of ring main units (RMUs) designed in late 1980s. Most of these RMUs were not designed for automation and could not be motorised for remote automation and control. As such, utilities have two
TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION
Safety RMUs are generally used in distribution substations, which are often close to, or sometimes located within, populated areas. Therefore, the safety of local communities and the RMU operators should always be the top priority. Hermetically sealing all live switching functions for life in an SF6 gas insulated, earthed metal tank, provides protection against electric shock and minimises the risk of accidents caused by human error.
options: either to replace the old equipment with new at high capital cost, or extend the life of current equipment by automating it. Lucy Switchgear has designed a solution to upgrade installed switchgear with actuators and Gemini Remote Terminal Units (RTU) to enable remote operation and control, thereby creating significant savings for utilities and network operators. This is universally recognised as a more financially viable option than completely updating the infrastructure with brand new technology, without compromising the quality and safety of the public or the operator, or lowering delivery efficiency. Environmentally responsible RMUs Albeit high up the priority list, enabling smart grids isn’t the only concern of utilities and network operators at the moment – environmental responsibility is also rising up the agenda. In switchgear technology, SF6 (Sulphur Hexafluoride) gas has replaced oil and air for electrical insulation and arc interruption in most new and retrofit RMU installations due to its excellent electrical insulation and non-corrosive properties. SF6 is a greenhouse gas, and there are some environmental concerns around using it in switchgear. Specifically, during arc extinction, SF6 gas is incinerated, producing toxic byproducts which require special precaution while dismantling and recycling the switchgear. However, if SF6 gas is used in conjunction with vacuum bottles then the arc breaking is done by a vacuum breaker and SF6 is therefore only used as an insulating medium. This method of arc breaking offers a clean solution with no by-products. Plus, if the gas tank is designed in such a way that it is resistant to corrosion and can keep the SF6 gas pressurised throughout the whole lifecycle of the switchgear, then the SF6 gas can be recovered and recycled for reuse. This reduces the impact of SF6 on environment, while utilising the inherent insulating properties of the gas.
Reliability SF6 gas is non-toxic, non-flammable and non-corrosive, which means: • No oxidation (corrosion) of the contacts and screwed joints, meaning there is no gradual reduction in the carrying capacity of the equipment over time • No synthetic material inside tank (cast resin insulation) reducing the fire risk • No reduction in insulation capacity of unit due to external factors • No risk of internal failure due to partial discharge Climate independence Hermetically sealed SF6 insulation means that the unit is completely independent from harsh environmental conditions, including: high humidity; flooding; creepage; pollution – dust and smoke; and saline deposits in coastal areas. Also, the excellent thermal conductivity and high heat transfer permits a higher operating efficiency despite ambient temperatures, meaning that switchgear utilising SF6 gas can be manufactured and deployed in almost any region in the world. Ease of installation The dielectric strength of SF6 gas is twice that of air, which means the physical units can be smaller and lighter than traditional RMUs. This has the obvious benefits of easier transportation and installation, as well as allowing for better use of space. Evolution rather than revolution The evolution in switching, protection and automation solutions for electrical distribution has been led by the evolving needs of utilities and network operators, as demand for energy that is safe, reliable and sustainable increases. Investment in technological innovation is key in helping our customers meet this need, but given the cost-implications of replacing old equipment with new, R&D should also focus on how to upgrade existing assets and make them fit-for-purpose. The development of SF6 gas as an insulator used in conjunction with a vacuum breaker in RMUs is a great example of how retrofitting existing equipment can lead to improvements in performance, and should not be downplayed. (The author is Product Marketing Manager, Lucy Switchgear) POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
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Process Automation
Inspiring optimisation Ossama Tawfick, Regional Senior Director, Middle East and North Africa, AspenTech spoke to Anoop K Menon on how his company is driving innovations in process engineering through cutting edge innovation in its products, both in terms of content and user-interface. Where does the Middle East stand today in terms of driving innovations in process engineering? How is Aspentech facilitating this trend? I think it boils down to the definition of innovation because we have always sought to define innovation in terms of Intellectual Property, products and software. In my view, from an engineering perspective, innovation is also the application of technologies that are available to achieve key strategic targets. This requires a lot of creativity and adaptation of the particular technology to the requirements and condition of the location. The Middle East is not a renowned supplier of intellectual property, but it is in this region where this Intellectual Property is validated and the highest level of feedback goes to the technology provider thanks to huge number of green field projects. In fact, the biggest 34
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projects in oil & gas industry from a global standpoint are happening in this region, the USD12 billion Sadara project in Saudi Arabia being a prime example. So even though we don’t have intellectual property coming from this region, they are is validated in the region with these mega projects. The feedback helps companies like ourselves, based outside the region, to develop our software because the challenges or the requirements coming from this region are pushing innovation. Of course, it is not direct innovation but effectively it is a great source of inspiration for innovation. There is a trend in this region of multinationals establishing direct presence, through manufacturing facilities or service centres, to be closer to their customers and collaborate better with them. What is the scope for industrial software companies like Aspentech to do take the same route?
When it comes to the oil & gas sector, there are two aspects that I would like to highlight – the first one being infrastructure creation because there is a very high requirement and demand to go downstream. That requires a huge amount of cash investment and capital investments in downstream. For that investment to be validated in the long term, we need to have a parallel and strong investment in human capital, which is the other most important aspect While infrastructure is a matter of getting the funds and capital in place, human capital takes much longer and it is a much more developed and committed process. We want to get to stage where we have a solid base of local engineers, going from graduates to becoming expert users in the fastest way possible and our technology is designed specifically to assist in that. So all of our innovation is geared towards how we can get somebody to accelerate and improve their level of
Process Automation
learning as quickly as possible and how efficient they are by using the tools. I think when we achieve this, when we get to a level where we have a solid strong base of local engineers who are trained on our tools that are developed specifically for process engineering, that will come kind of on its own because you have the human capital support. Could you talk about specific initiatives taken by Aspentech to nurture local engineering expertise? We are trying to do it from the source. Our software now incorporates online training material or context sensitive training material. When an engineer using our tool gets into an area where he needs more information or more training, he gets access to video and full tutorial. That helps the engineer learn while he is working – it’s an ongoing process. It also allows him to learn continuously and makes learning linked to specific operational issues that are valid. Therefore, not just the quantity but also the quality of the learning gets elevated because it immediately applies to the problem they are facing. We also have search facilities on our software that allows them to search in the design in a very intelligent way. This allows them to start from a place where the others have finished rather than start from the very beginning. Also, a lot of our innovations are related to something like adaptive control systems, where you are creating a system that allows engineers to get feedback information from the control system that allows them to make decisions in an expert way while not having the same kind of experience they would normally need for these kind of decisions. It is integral to our software and we believe that by this approach, it will reach the highest or widest range of people and will be more applied. How are you addressing the challenge of user friendliness for the next generation of users who are used to the intuitive interfaces of their computing and communication devices? I think you have touched on a very
important point. For a very long time, engineering software was equated to being focussed on the end-result but not on the interface and how to get from point A to point B because it was assumed that everybody is an expert user. I think the big lesson that we have learned is that we need to focus on the user interface. We have invested a substantial amount of R&D capital in user interface technology. And the purpose is not just to make it simpler but to make it more intuitive and adaptable to a generation that is seeing the same kind of user interface throughout. For example, our software has ribbons in the same way that MS Office has ribbons. You have consistency of user interface but more importantly you have a user interface which is designed not just to look simple or to look better but to be more intuitive; and more importantly, now we have adapted a lot of our applications to be used on mobile devices like tablets and smart phones which allows users to access information from our software like HYSYS or even IP. 21, which has a very slick mobile interface that allows somebody from a refinery, for example, to take a look at their operation through their phone or tablet. A more intuitive user interface makes it easier to learn the software, be more efficient and also leverage the medium being used like smart phones and tablets. Could you elaborate on the significance or importance of your Adaptive Process Control concept for customers in the region? It we take a step back and look at Advanced Process Control (APC), the amount of expertise available globally in terms of engineers with 10 years plus of experience in APC is limited. In fact, it is a group very limited in numbers worldwide. Effectively, it requires a lot of learning and experience to not just operate APC but make decisions that affect the control systems in a relevant way. That experience is more and more difficult to source and with the brain drain that we have in in engineering, it is becoming a major challenge. What we are doing with Adaptive
Process Control is effectively allowing some sort of intelligence into APC to provide feedback to the user to allow him to make these decisions but without having to have this amount of experience. The system is effectively giving feedback to calibrate the process control system to optimise the operation. The big innovation here is that it will allow more usage of APC simply because it allows these systems to be linked into optimum level for a longer period of time with a lot less experience than was required before. It is basically added intelligence in feedback to the process control. Are there any significant highlights from a product development standpoint that you would like to highlight? Over the last two years, we have had three major releases of our software. Version 8 is the biggest and most advanced release in the history of Aspentech. This included a lot of innovations on the engineering side, allowing process engineers, from the same model, to look at cost estimation and energy efficiency aspects. It gave the process engineers a lot more integrated environment, but also more importantly, a lot more tools within reach that they can leverage. And it is all integrated with our operational software that is involved in planning and scheduling as well as APC and real time databases. If you look at all of this together, the amount of innovation that has happened over the past two years now at Aspentech is substantial and it will be of high interest for our customers. In fact, the amount of innovations by Aspentech in process engineering software and manufacturing and planning and scheduling software over the past two years is unprecedented. This applies both to the user interface and the content. Our business message is that our software is not simply a software used for engineering or operation purposes. It is really a whole, integrated suite that is focussed on optimising profitability. That focus allows us to develop from the perspective of technical innovation relevant to our customers and at the end of the day, is measured in optimisation and profitability. POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
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ROUNDTABLE
UAE: Building a green future The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been at the forefront of sustainability trend in the Middle East region thanks to a leadership that is committed to building and nurturing a green economy.
I
n fact, the country boasts of highest share of green buildings in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region as well as the largest solar thermal power project operating in the world. BGREEN and Emirates Green Building Council (EGBC) chaired a round table discussion, the seventh in our collaborative series Sustainable Solutions, to understand the sustainability trends in different sectors of the economy. The round table participants were Ibrahim Al Zubi, Head of CSR, Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) Group; Sarfraz Dairkee, General Manager – Corporate Development & Engineering, MAHY Khoory; P R Jagannathan, Sustainability Manager, EHSTrakhees; Ajita Nayar, Education Manager, Emirates Wildlife Society–WWF. The discussion was moderated by Anoop K Menon, Contributing Editor, Bgreen BGREEN: Given the diversity of Majid Al Futtaim Properties’ business footprint that range from Malls and Hospitality to Communities, how has sustainability evolved within the group? Ibrahim Al Zubi: As an entrepreneur and mall developer, Majid Al Futtaim Properties has come a long way to become one of the biggest names in the region’s retail sector. When we decided to make sustainability an integral part of the company’s
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outlook, one of the first steps we took was to find out whether we had management buy-in. We engaged the different internal stakeholders and asked them why they wanted sustainability. The key value drivers of sustainability identified were brand reputation, moral obligation, long term profitability, license to operate and corporate citizenship. Given the buy-in and added value for the business, we engaged stake holders internally, came up with a policy and created a full time, dedicated post of head of sustainability – which I currently helm - reporting to the CEO. We have put in measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and tangible annual and long term targets that get audited every quarter by a third party auditor. To increase awareness, we also decided to become transparent and share these findings with our staff, the board and external stakeholders. BGREEN: Are the customer’s customer (i.e. the end consumer) enthused about the fact that they are shopping in a sustainable mall, for example? Al Zubi: Part of the marketing department’s KPI as sustainability targets is to do customer surveys. Our endcustomers find shopping at Mirdiff City Centre mall, which is the first shopping mall in the region to have been awarded a
ROundtable LEED Gold rating, a positive experience in terms of its physical structure and fit outs compared to other malls. We also have government departments like Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) and Dubai Municipality (DM) using the mall to educate consumers about sustainable living. We are now targeting the first LEED EBOM (The LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance) certified shopping mall in the Middle East. We want to document the engagement of our tenants and customers, see if they are aware. Interestingly, during a customer survey in Lebanon, buying a green building asset emerged as one of the top five most important deciding factors. A few days ago, I was part of a panel at the ethical branding conference in Dubai, and what came out is that customer awareness is definitely on the rise. BGREEN: What has been Emirates Wildlife Society–WWF’s experience in trying to promote sustainability among the schools in the UAE? Ajita Nayar: Nine years ago, EWSWWF started environmental education programmes among school students to raise their awareness on environmental issues. We started off in a progressive manner, starting with environmental literacy. first using small booklets,and then progressing to an online education programme. While the programme had a good impact on students, we were also keen to see whether the knowledge gained translated into any meaningful action. That’s when we decided to introduce the Eco-Schools programme. The Eco-Schools programme deviates from a formal education strategy where typically teachers tell students what to do. In Eco-schools, students are encouraged to be the core strategizing group in the school. They try to identify what are the key environmental issues in the school and come up with solutions that are simple, practical and gives immediate results. For example, if they have observed that windows are open when the air-conditioning (AC) is running in a classroom, a very simple behavioural change they need to bring about is to ensure windows are closed when the AC is on. The keywords are -simple and practical- because many schools are not very comfortable in terms of doing retrofits or technological upgrades to conserve energy and water. Thus the core focus of the Eco-Schools programme is on behavioural changes that can help reduce consumption of resource. Over the three years of the programme, Eco-Schools have collectively reduced their water consumption by 12%. Figuratively, this may not be a huge number, but for students to take the lead and come up with simple mechanisms means they are learning to think critically and come up with simple yet profitable solutions. BGREEN: Does this lead to schools themselves adopting green practices like energy efficient lighting, water recycling and the like? Nayar: One of our key messages to schools is that while they may find it useful to do retrofits or install energy saving LED lamps, they don’t have to rush into that. We advocate a more practical approach wherein if at any point of time, for example,
they have to replace a damaged light bulb, they could do that with an energy-efficient lights like LED, should they have the finances. If not they could opt for the CFLs.. We have also had a very interesting case in a government primary school where they don’t waste even a single drop of grey water from their wash basins. Instead of installing additional plumbing, they trained their janitors to collect the grey water in huge buckets and channel the same into their gardens. In schools, change is certainly taking place, but in a gradual way. BGREEN: Trakhees-EHS has played a pioneering role, from a regulatory standpoint, in spreading sustainability message in the UAE. What were some of the challenges encountered in that journey? P R Jagannathan: In October 2007, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai issued a resolution late 2007 that effective from 2008, all constructions in Dubai would be aligned to green principles. At that time, Trakhees-EHS was in the final stages of creating its own green building regulations. These regulations came into force effective January 2008 for all new constructions within the PCFC /Dubai World jurisdiction. Compliance with these green building regulations was mandatory to obtain an NOC for building permit. This mandatory framework continued through the global economic slump and recovery. As of this day, there are nearly 70 LEED certified new constructions in Dubai of which nearly 70% are from our jurisdiction. The challenges were several and multi fold – the property developers and clients were generally clueless about green buildings per se and the role of such buildings on the environment. But they knew that under the mandatory framework, they couldn’t get the building permit without complying with the green building regulations and obtaining the clearance from Trakhees-EHS. The challenges with the consultants were several. They used to visit our office with a letter of undertaking to comply with all the regulations and were expecting the NOC and the building permit based on that document. This essentially meant that they undertake to comply with the requirement after obtaining the building permit whereas the very purpose of a regulatory review process is to ascertain and make sure that the proposed project fully complies with the green building regulations in terms of robust designs. We were of the strong opinion that sustainability should commence right at the design stage for maximised returns and cannot be left behind to be compensated at later stages. Once the building is issued with a building permit, the entire focus would be on hitting the ground and proceeding with the construction works rather than looking into incorporating green designs. Hence, such letter of undertakings, notwithstanding the genuine intentions would not help green buildings. We discouraged it right from the beginning and set on the most challenging task of incorporating robust procedures, strong guidelines and other mechanisms to facilitate and encourage the adoption of green buildings and meaningful POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
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ROUNDTABLE design submissions; they sharply focussed on matters that are of key importance to the region such as energy and water. Accordingly, important design elements such as energy modelling reports, heat load calculations, water efficiency design predictions, envelope features and overall design consistency were insisted (made a must) and meticulously checked by the review team. These parameters were required to be locked and sealed from a design point of view so that if the contractor follows the designs, the building can expected to be reasonably compliant in the construction phase as well. On the same yardstick with operational measures and awareness, it can expect to perform to the extent of what was committed. What worked for us, in my view point, was making green buildings mandatory. Through strong reviews, we have managed to substantially reduce the gaps on the design compliance front. The stakeholders are aware of what exactly has to be done to achieve green design. The challenge has now shifted to construction and operation/post-occupancy phases.
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BGREEN: What would be the challenges in the construction and operation/post-occupancy phases?? Jagannathan: Jagannathan: There is an enormous awareness gap. Notwithstanding the green design and construction, we cannot say with assurance that all the certified buildings are performing as per the original predictions. This is not only a regional issue but a global one as well. It is important that post-handover from the contractor and the consultant, the building must behave ‘green’. First and foremost, the client or the investor and his Facility Management (FM) team needs to understand that the facility that they have inherited is a sustainable building (green building) and accordingly, requires a different set of approach, both technical and behavioural Likewise they need to be aware that they deserve to derive the benefits of such a building in return for their investments. With this philosophy, they should start demanding the performance. However, in its absence, it would continue to be a property of neglect just like any other building. Very often, they come to know that measurement and verification is mandatory only after they come to us for an official fitness renewal. There are so many parameters in the operational phase that may completely shift the engineering design estimate so those things have to be factored and calculated again. On the other hand, if the client is aware of the facility, he does not need to wait for regulatory intervention. Rather, he would lead the sustainability efforts in order to get the benefits and return on the investment. At the end of the day, without the full involvement and commitment of management, sustainability cannot become embedded into the corporate DNA. Moreover, sustainability should be incorporated to the extent that it makes a good economic proposition. Sustainability without direct / indirect profitability may lead to green washing.
shouldn’t have an obsession towards an international rating system. Whether it is New York or Dubai, all we are talking about is energy, water, waste, operations and behavioural change. Al Zubi: While this is a good point, what is the solution? Even within the region, we have multiple green building standards, locally developed as well as international. Jagannathan: Jagannathan: Within Trakhees-EHS jurisdiction, you will find mostly commercial and office buildings, residential and warehouse developments. From our discussions with stakeholders, business units and clients, we realised that it is harsh to impose LEED regulations on a warehouse development which has a different nature of usage such as a large storage area with a very small conditioned space (say 100 m2 of air conditioning). So we started developing EHS In-House green building regulations for warehouses, targeting envelope, energy, lighting, controls and water. Instead of leaving it to consultants to mix and match and do the modelling, we prescribed in detail what needs to be done from basic engineering to design to operation. The same approach was adopted for villas as well. Al Zubi: We have considered coming up with our own green building standards. The issue is when you are trying to build a business case. We have a standalone energy policy supporting the green building policy because energy consumption is a key issue. But when you have a big project, it is easier to get a LEED consultant or a BREEAM assessor. Sarfraz Dairkee: In EGBC, when we started in 2004-05, we realised that there were multiple green building rating systems. But there is a difference between imitation and adaptation; what we wanted to do was adapt because only that enables you to get to the root of the matter. For example, then and now, LEED has two credit points for water efficiency. But in the case of the UAE, we found that energy and water have a strong nexus - every m3 of water is equal to 5-5.5 kWh of energy. At that time, we realised that one of the key issues to look at, from a sustainability standpoint, is water. Probably, we were ahead of time when we proposed three-line plumbing system to collect and re-use the grey water. Again, in this region, cooling accounts for majority of the energy consumption. So we tried to look into various aspects of air conditioning – for example, in those days, the emphasis was on air-conditioning the building. But it is not the building which needs air-conditioning; rather, it is human beings who need airconditioning. The moment you adopt this approach, your entire design philosophy changes. Even today, a very large percentage of green building compliance remains a ritual. As long as it remains a ritual, you will never solve the problem. If you try to apply the same solution, you will get the same results. You cannot expect different results with the same solution. It only adds to the costs with very little value addition. To have the value addition, you have to ask what sustainability means to you.
Nayar: Are LEED certifications permanent? Jagannathan: Initially, LEED gave certificates that didn’t have a validity period. But here, I would like to make a point that we
BGREEN: With the Eco-School programme, did you have to face difficulties in adapting a concept developed elsewhere to local conditions?
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ROundtable Nayar: The good thing about Eco-schools framework is that it is completely malleable. The framework can be tailored to local requirements. Dairkee: With schools, you don’t have to deal with ‘unlearning’ either. BGREEN: How did Majid Al Futtaim Properties navigate through the web of multiple green building rating systems? Al Zubi: Across our portfolio, we have hotels, big malls, community malls and community developments. We have mall assets in different countries with different climatic conditions. The fact we have sustainability policy, that sustainability is part of our organisation’s DNA is 50% of the job done. From experience, we found that it is easier to achieve LEED for malls and new-build hotels and EarthCheck for existing hotels. For multi-storied, in this case the Waterfront City project in Lebanon, we did gap analysis between LEED, BREEAM and Lebanon Green Building Council’s ARZ Rating System. Unfortunately, ARZ is for existing buildings but we are supporting them to develop standards for new-builds. Recently, we carried out a gap analysis study for old standards and credits. Over the last two years, we have been training our project managers and development managers in all green building standards including LEED and BREEAM. I did this, not only to save money on green building consultants, but to help our team know which credits to choose and raise awareness internally . All over the world, building standards are developed by industry associations, USGBC being a great example. If EGBC came up a national green building standard for the UAE, I would find it easier to follow; similarly, I would prefer to follow the Lebanese Green Building Council’s standards in Lebanon. Dairkee: Even with green building standards in place, a green outcome cannot be guaranteed. It is important to internalise the truth and adapt it. The solution to our kind of challenge is understanding what the critical thing is. You cannot define it and the moment you do so, it becomes very static. It is a moving object in the sense that your truth will not be my truth. I believe that every building has its distinct personality. Unless we address that, it won’t respond to our likes and dislikes. To know that, we have to identify the owner’s project requirements. The owner himself needs to be aware of the possibilities, dreams and aspirations and define them. Al Zubi: For aspirations to be translated into action, you still need to give a design brief, look at the spreadsheets, put in the investment. Jagannathan: Jagannathan: The confusion about multiple green building standards and regulations is an issue for consultants especially when they are undertaking projects in several jurisdictions. If it is EHS-Trakhees, it is mandatory EHS regulation; if it is Abu Dhabi, there is the mandatory ESTIDAMA rating; if it is Dubai Municipality, it is mandatory for public buildings, which as we now understand would be extended to private buildings from 2014. The way I see it, at least in Dubai, we have multiple stakeholders like Trakhees-EHS, Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA), Dubai Municipality, Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, EGBC etc. that are active in green building movement. There are lot of synergies to be gained by working
together. Perhaps, the government can steer it through a strong centralised policy created to achieve the goals for the built environment. Such a policy would have legal backing and enforced through strong regulations. These policies help identify priority strategies, regulations and programmes. The programmes would have different time frames, resources, measurable metrics and reporting mechanisms. However, the absence of a centralised rating system should not be a barrier at all for promoting sustainability in the built environment. This is particularly relevant for individual organisations and developments. If the management is committed and is supported by a strong technical team that is convinced that a particular approach leads to, say, 18% in energy savings and 30% water savings compared to baseline cases, it doesn’t really matter whether you have a government regulation or not; what matters is that you are saving energy and water, and that should be the key focus. Sometimes, a low cost practical approach that delivers quantifiable savings is preferable over savings promised on paper. Al Zubi: While a green building code or energy labelling may not be necessary to start saving on energy and water, the challenge is in communicating these savings with stakeholders. We invested in a third party auditor to ensure that our data is proper and correct. We had to do our own benchmarking for the last three years, and it is a lot of hard work. Everyone in the room will agree that you cannot manage something that you cannot measure. We need to benchmark, collect data; we need a platform and a framework. We are benchmarking our assets through GRESB (Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark). You need a benchmarking framework to see if you are doing well. This will also makes it easy to communicate the technical aspects to the top management. I feel that EGBC can play an important role here. Jagannathan: While one should not be discouraged by the absence of a benchmarking framework in Dubai, its absence is indeed a barrier for those who would like to assess their performance vis-a-vis others. How will we know what is the energy intensity of a villa in Al Quoz compared to a similar one in Jumeirah or what is the energy intensity of a tower on Sheikh Zayed Road compared to a similar tower in TECOM? Al Zubi: I believe that transparency is a big part of benchmarking and implementing green building standards. We have taken a big step towards that with our annual sustainability report. Jagannathan: A great example of such transparency on a broad level is one set by the Energy performance of buildings directive in UK which calls the requirement of an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for properties when sold, built or rented and Display Energy Certificate (DEC). While the extent varies within the range of properties, it serves to significantly promote awareness and provide the existing owners as well as potential buyers a complete energy background of the property that they own or planning to own. It also assists in potential tenants in choosing the most energy efficient property. Dairkee: Enforcement can work only so much. For sustainability to work, it has to come from within. If you are making regulations and you cannot implement them, it is better not to make them at all. POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
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Asset Management
Asset Health Centre Monitoring and maintaining mission-critical assets in real time and getting necessary insights for asset replacement prior to failure is not an impossible goal. American Electric Power’s (AEP) Jeff Fleeman shares the key milestones on that journey. By Anoop K Menon
W
e want to be the masters of our system and its assets not their slaves. This implies we know the condition of our assets, what we need to do it and when.” These words from Jeff Fleeman, Director of Advanced Transmission Studies and Technologies at American Electric Power (AEP), one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, captures the asset management challenge that electric utilities everywhere grapple with. As assets continue to grow in population and continue to grow older, the resources – monetary and human – required to maintain and manage them are hard pressed to keep pace. In AEP’s case, 1/3rd of the power transformers on its system are 50 years or older and nearly 20% are 60 years or older. In his key note address at Ventyx World, the annual gathering of Ventyx’ global customer community which took place at San Francisco in June, Fleeman elaborated on how AEP is pioneering a new asset management approach to overcome these challenges. Asset Health Centre Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, AEP is one of the largest electric utilities in the US, serving over five million customers in 11 states. AEP owns nearly 38,000 MW of generating capacity and a nearly 40,000-mile electricity transmission network – the largest in the United States – with 900 transmission
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substations, 1,500 transformers and 6,700 circuit breakers. AEP’s network infrastructure across the 11 states comprises of 5,600 substations, 5,600 transformers and 17,400 circuit breakers. In 2007, AEP first outlined the industry benefits of what it termed an ‘asset health centre’ concept, and then encouraged the development of a platform that would integrate AEPprovided infrastructure and systems, together with condition models that transform data into practical decision-support information. The vehicle for delivering this concept was AEP-ABB Transmission Technology Alliance, which married equipment-based operational technology (OT) from ABB and enterprise information technology (IT) from Ventyx with AEP’s deep operational and diagnostic expertise. Drivers for Asset Health Centre For AEP, the fundamental driver behind the Asset Health Centre platform was developing a new condition-based maintenance approach that would help the utility ensure the reliability of its transmission infrastructure assets. “It is extremely important that we be there all the time,” said Fleeman. “Our traditional practices, the way we got to where we are today, aren’t going to be the same kind of things we need to do to get us to where we need to be in the future.” Generally, most utilities follow time-based frequency
Asset Management
intervals for maintenance, which Fleeman describes as “maintain till death do us apart” approach “allowing assets to make the strategic decision for us when to replace them.” The drawback of this approach is that it leads to blind spots with awareness gaps, not a great place to be in when it comes to mission-critical assets. “The condition knowledge that we do have is only as good as the last inspection which might have been done some years ago,” explained Fleeman. “Therefore, our knowledge of the state of our system’s reliability is only as good as that last inspection.” The litany of issues doesn’t end there - aging transmission assets have an increasing chance or probability of failure, often have parts that are hard or impossible to get, their cost of maintenance tends to rise, and fully depreciated assets don’t really contribute much to the utility’s bottom line. Moreover, O&M budgets don’t always keep pace with growth in asset responsibility, in terms of asset growth on the one hand and aging on the other. “Aging assets can siphon off a lot of those budgets, so the only option you have is to rationalise further by extending inspections, which extends further your lack of awareness of asset condition,” said Fleeman. “The lack of timely knowledge of asset condition results in unexpected barriers. You might expect a failure but don’t know when and end up causing an operational impact at greater cost.” The aging issue applies to human resources as well. The
attrition of aging employees leads to loss or depletion of engineering and maintenance expertise. When AEP set about conceptualising its asset health programme, it set clear goals – improve reliability, optimise the maintenance targets (doing maintenance in the right place at the right time) and prioritise the replacement of its aging assets. The utility recognised an opportunity in the rising tide of big data being generated at unprecedented rates by its equipment’s smarter sensors, equipment monitors and the like that made up its smarter transmission grid. To transform this data into practical and actionable information, AEP realised it needed a new combination of technologies. In terms of specific goals, AEP expected the Asset Health Centre platform to first, automate the collection of data from the sensors and equipment monitors; second, apply advanced analytics to real-time, transactional and historical data to drive good decisions on managing the asset through its life and third, advance overall effectiveness and results from the assets through comprehensive business intelligence. In 2008, the utility sent out a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to vendors who had the global expertise and technologies, the idea being to collaborate and develop technologies of mutual interest that would help support AEP’s transmission business strategy. In the end, ABB was chosen to participate in AEP-ABB Transmission Technology Alliance to develop the solution.
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Asset Management Fleeman attributed the success of the alliance in developing asset health centre solution to AEP’s “persistence, our voice as a customer,” ABB’s Head of Smart Grids North America joining the steering committee of the alliance and the acquisition of Ventyx by ABB, which served to raise interest level by several notches. “The collaboration on this topic brings globally acknowledged experts in power equipment and business intelligence with AEP’s scale, size and technology experience as an owner operator of transmission infrastructure,” said Fleeman. At the core of the asset health centre solution is its ability to bring together a wide range of disparate asset information, asset algorithms based on deep subject-matter expertise, and smart software solutions into one cohesive system. When AEP decided to pioneer its new approach to asset management, the company also established a few guiding principles: Leverage existing information infrastructure: AEP is leveraging existing infrastructure and designs to feed digital equipment history records, online monitoring and operational data to the Asset Health Centre. Fleeman observed: “We had a lot of wonderful things in place. We had a database with inspection history and location of all our assets; we had a great communication system linking our substations and great set of O&M skills. We didn’t throw them away and start fresh.” Use sensing that is durable, low cost, simple and low maintenance: “Imagine telling your work crews you are trying to reduce unnecessary maintenance on major assets, and yet they are driving to the station twice a month to fix a little monitor. That will only make things worse. Do good if you can, but certainly do no harm.” Put all the intelligence and learning in a software that is central: “We can’t have an inspection gadget one-size-fits all solution for every one of our 5,600 transformers and 17,400 circuit breakers. That will be redundant, foolish, unsustainable, unaffordable and not scalable.” Commit to solving the problem: “As an industry, we dabble but don’t really commit to solving the problem,” said Fleeman. “Commit and make up your mind that you are going to cross the finishing line.” Automate manual processes wherever possible: “If there is something that you are manually doing like data entry of inspections, automate but not to eliminate the job of the expert but to focus his expertise in the things he does best and add value.” Benefits • Fewer catastrophic equipment failures: Fleeman said: “While we will not eliminate them all, we will definitely eliminate some. We will have a better idea of what is coming so that we won’t be caught off guard. This will result in fewer of those failures and less outage management.”
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• Prioritised maintenance and replacement • Optimised asset investment strategies: “What replacement should we do first, based on the risk of failure and the remaining useful life of the asset?” • Improved network performance, reliability and availability. • Improved productivity of the field force: “You are wasting the skills of your people who have to drive, sometime hours to the substation to go through a routine that doesn’t really require their skills. We can spend that effort somewhere elsewhere where it is truly needed.” • Increased safety: “If they have a better idea of the condition of the equipment that supports safety.” “The relief from outages that aren’t needed enables us to have more permission to do the outages we need for add on projects,” continued Fleeman. “It puts in a better state of not taking things out of service. Implementation of Asset Health Centre also has soft benefits in terms of culture related to how we go about the whole business of asset management.” A key learning shared by Fleeman was that the project’s high expectations and challenging goal actually got the stakeholders excited as well. “Identifying clear business benefits and requirements and getting the leadership excited about the programme helped us,” he said. AEP is now implementing asset health centre solution across its entire transmission network in phases. Fleeman elaborated: “While we expect to finish with the asset health centre implementation by 2015, we already have a usable platform. In fact, we are already getting some operational and maintenance benefits from the first phase. There will be four of those roll outs, so each stage will give us a more effective product until we get to the end.” Incorporating the wealth of operational and diagnostic experience provided by AEP and ABB, the Ventyx Asset Health Centre was launched at Ventyx World 2013. Currently available for electric transmission companies worldwide, the Ventyx Asset Health Centre will also be available in future releases to support electric distribution, power generation and mining.
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CELEBRATING KEY ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE SUSTAINABILITY INDUSTRY 28th NOVEMBER 2013 JUMEIRAH BEACH HOTEL, DUBAI UAE The BGreen Awards 2013 recognises the sustainability achievements of companies across the region in association with the leading business magazine dedicated to the issue. Every business, from the largest multi-national to the smallest start-up, has the opportunity to showcase their sustainability work within a number of categories. The BGreen Awards ceremony is the biggest awards night in the GCC’s sustainability sector and this year it will be held on the 28th November at Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai. It will be a glittering celebration of the finest green business practices, attended by leading figures from the Government and private sectors providing a brilliant networking platform. Two years ago The BGreen Awards 2011 welcomed His Highness Sheikh Aldulaziz Al Nuaimi and award winners included DAMAC, Arabtec Construction, LG Electronics and Jotun.
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DEADLINE FOR NOMINATIONS IS 7th NOVEMBER 2013
To submit your nominations online, please visit: www.buildgreen.ae/awards/
THE ENTRY PROCESS IS STRAIGHTFORWARD AND CAN BE CARRIED OUT ONLINE FOLLOWING OUR SIMPLE QUESTION AND ANSWER NOMINATION FORM. Our judging panel is made up of leading experts in the green building and sustainability sector who will shortlist entrants in each category by the second week in November and each will be invited to attend our awards evening. THE BGREEN AWARDS 2013 WILL BE PRESENTED TO OUTSTANDING NOMINATIONS IN THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES: • • • • • •
Most Sustainable Large Corporate Most Sustainable Medium Business Most Sustainable NGO Most Sustainable Government Department Special Recognition Award for International Partnerships in the UAE Energy Efficiency Project of the Year
• • •
Sustainable Supplier of the Year Contractor of the Year Green Building Project of the Year
SPECIAL AWARDS: • Sustainable Lighting Project of the year • Best Waste Management Company of the Year
FOR SPONSORSHIPENQUIRIES PLEASE CONTACT: HARRY NORMAN Sustainability Director harry.norman@cpimediagroup.com +971 (0) 4 440 9131
JUNAID RAFIQUE Business Development Manager junaid.rafique@cpimediagroup.com +971 (0) 4 440 9134
SHABS KHAN Head of Special Projects shabs.khan@cpimediagroup.com +971 (0) 4 440 9159
JASMINE KYRIAKOU Marketing Manager jasmine.kyriakou@cpimediagroup.com +971 (0) 4 440 91xx
POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
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TEST & MEASUREMENT
Localisation made easy A new measurement system makes PD localisation in power transformers easier due to the combination of electrical PD measurement technique and intuitive 3D visualisation of the test object. The first part of this article was published in August/September 2013 edition.
T
he runtime t1 of a single, electrically triggered sensor (see Fig, 4, left) produces a sphere around the sensor position. Every point inside the tank on the surface of the sphere may represent the theoretical PD fault location. The radius of the sphere r is calculated from the sound speed and the measured runtime. It should be noted that the speed of sound in oil is usually used. In a purely acoustic measurement,
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the signal of an individual sensor has only very limited value for localisation. Only a very unreliable link can be made between amplitude and proximity of the fault because of the attenuating effect of the internal structures of the transformer. Only when a second sensor is employed, there is a time difference Δt1,2.that can be used. In this case the PD source can be located on a hyperbolic plane between the sensors, as shown in the right-hand section of Figure 4.
The significance of the results generally increases with the number of sensors, as the number of possible solutions is reduced. If, for example, two spheres overlap, circular lines can be produced that limit the possible position of the PD source from a plane to a line (see Fig. 8). The method described assumes a direct acoustic path with a defined sound speed between the PD source and the sensors. However, the model is often nothing more than an extremely simplified representa-
TEST & MEASUREMENT
Figure 4: Possible positions of a PD source for an electrically triggered sensor (left) and with purely acoustic measurement using two sensors (right)
Figure 8: Measuring system
Figure 7: Recorded acoustic signals
Figure 5: PD pattern of phase W at 100 kV and 200 Hz excitation frequency
tion of the actual circumstances inside the transformer. This can result in inaccuracies in the localisation of the PD source. It has therefore become established practice to optimise the position of the sensors on the tank wall iteratively. The aim of repositioning the sensors is to find the optimal sound path (direct oil path in Figure 1) between source and sensor. This will now be demonstrated using real measurement examples. Measurement example 1 A 16 MVA transformer came to attention because of high PD values during the factory acceptance test. By means of a phase comparison, the high-voltage side of phase W was identified as the cause of the partial discharges. Accordingly, the acoustic sensors were positioned in the area of this winding (Fig. 6, left). An analysis of the acoustic signal runtimes showed that the yellow and black sensors recorded the sound signals earlier than the red and blue sensors. The latter were therefore repositioned (Fig. 6, right). Figure 7 shows a measurement example of acoustic signals recorded.
Figure 6: Sensor positions used
The yellow sensor registers the acoustic wave first; in addition, the signal shape shows relatively little attenuation and no steel path component, as is evident in Figure 2 for example. It is likely that this sensor is closest to the fault. The slightly rising responses of the blue and red sensors fitted to the cover is the result of their greater distance from the PD source and therefore the greater attenuation. The black sensor shows a short steel path
component at the start of the signal. With this information, the plausibility of the localisation results provided by the measuring system (Fig. 8) can be checked. The transformer was finally opened. During the visual inspection, a bare wire was found on the main insulation very close to the PD location shown by the PDL 650 system (Figure 9). The fault was rectified and the transformer handed over following successful repeat testing. POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
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TEST & MEASUREMENT
Measurement example 2 A significant rise in the values of hydrogen and methane was identified in successive gas-in-oil analyses in a 500 MVA transformer (Figure 10) a few months after installation. In the PD localisation using the PDL 650 carried out subsequently, electrical triggering could not be used. In addition, it was not possible when fitting the acoustic sensors to the tank wall to record an adequate signal that would have been usable for localisation. It can be assumed that this is the result of the magnetic shielding plates located on the inside of the tank, which attenuate the sound significantly. The sensors were therefore fitted to the cover. The results obtained with the first configuration of sensors suggested a fault location in the middle phase close to the tap changer or the bushing of the 220 kV side (Figure 11, left). The sensors were therefore positioned closer to this area, which led to significantly clearer signals. The right-hand section of Figure 11 shows localisation planes resulting from their evaluation. The oil level was then lowered and the transformer was examined through an inspection opening in the vicinity. Various areas of damage to the tap changer were found and repaired.
Figure 9: Source of the PD (marked with a black arrow)
Figure 10: Test object and modelling in the localisation software
Figure 11: Localisation results for the first configuration of sensors
Measurement example 3 A raised PD level was established in a 500 MVA line transformer prior to its factory acceptance test. The u and v phases of the 230 kV side were affected. Figure 13 shows the electrical PD signals of the three low-voltage phases at the measurement connections of the bushings. It is noticeable that the u and v phases show a very similar PD pattern that clearly indicates internal PD, while unusually a coupling to the third phase cannot be identified. The corresponding 3PARD representation (3-Phase Amplitude Relations Diagram) also clearly shows that the PD fault is in the u and v phases. Based on this information, the acoustic sensors used in the subsequent PD localisation were first positioned close to the u and v windings on the low-voltage side of the tank. Optimal positioning of the sensors was restricted as a result of the 48
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Figure 12: The transformer in the factory
Figure 13: Recorded PD signals from the three low-voltage phases and 3PARD representation (3-Phase Amplitude Relations Diagram)
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POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
TEST & MEASUREMENT
Figure 14: (Clock-wise from top left) Multi-stage optimisation of the sensor positioning and the PD fault positions displayed as a result.
cooling radiators that had already been installed. The area between the two windings was not accessible. Nevertheless, all four sensors used were able to record clear acoustic signals. Initial indications from the localisation system did not indicate a PD fault between the windings, however, but in the area between the outputs and the tap changer. The sensors were then repositioned to bring them closer to the suspected location of the fault. In this new configuration, it was possible to confirm the initial localisation results and make them more precise. To check the findings, the sensors were repositioned twice more in optimised configurations. Figure 14 shows the multi-stage optimisation of the sensor positioning and the PD fault positions shown in the process. The acoustic sensors of the PDL 650 system are color-coded and are displayed in the localisation software accordingly. The results of the localisation are shown as blue circles and in the final section of the figure as a brown dot. The coordinates of the PD source were 50
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Figure 15: Black PD traces on the damaged section of insulation
ultimately determined as follows: a height of 3.12 m from the tank floor, 6.23 m from the left tank corner and 0.27 m behind the wall. The transformer was opened and an insulation board with the PD marks shown in Figure 15 was found at the position described. The damaged section of insulation was at an intersection between the phase outputs and the corresponding single step switches. This matches with the results of the electrical PD measurement. The section of insulation was replaced by means of a dielectrically amplified process and the PD fault no longer occurred at this point. The entire localisation process was completed in one morning. The localisation accuracy in this case was less than ± 0.1 m. The electrical input signals used to trigger the localisation system varied between 60 pC and 2 nC. Summary Acoustic partial discharge localisation can be an effective procedure for locating faults in the insulation of transformers.
Electrical triggering is often an advantage when using the procedure. The 3D modelling of the transformer carried out by the PDL 650 software has proved to be helpful in localising faults more easily. REFERENCES [1] C57.127 (2007) “IEEE Guide for the Detection and Location of Acoustic Emissions from Partial Discharges in Oil-Immersed Power Transformers and Reactors,” The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, New York, USA, 2007 [2] Hoek, S.M.; Kästner, B; Kraetge, A; “Einführung in die akustische Teilentladungsmessung und –ortung mit dem PDL 650” OMICRON electronics, Application Note ANP_12005_DEU, www. omicron.at (2013) (Authors: Dr. Alexander Kraetge, High Voltage Equipment Diagnostics Manager, OMICRON electronics GmbH Stefan Hoek (Graduate in Engineering), Product Manager, OMICRON electronics GmbH)
HARNESS
A clean start Dr Nasser Saidi, Chairman of Clean Energy Business Council (CEBC) explains how his organisation is supporting the growth of clean energy sector in the MENA.
I
n a region blessed with large resources in fossil fuels, the need for clean energy may not seem obvious at first glance. However, with aggressive population and economic growth and extensive subsidies putting ever-increasing pressure on MENA’s power consumption, infrastructure and aggravating its environmental woes, there has never been a more crucial time to develop this industry. In many of the region’s countries, fossil fuel product subsidies distort prices, while cost recovery in electricity and efficiency of supply are weak. Meanwhile, the energy intensity of production is dangerously high (twice the average level in OECD countries) while the potential for clean energy remains largely overlooked. Given these challenges, the CEBC was launched in October of 2009 to contribute to the development of appropriate and much needed regulation and policy to support the growth of a now clearly increasingly important sector: clean energy and clean technology. Today, members of the Council include Masdar, Standard Chartered, Latham & Watkins, Dow, General Electric, Ambata, Adenium, GDF Suez, Enviromena, Ernst & Young, Enel Power, ACWA Power, The Zubair Corporation, First Solar, Vinson & Elkins, Toyota Tsusho, Dalkia Utilities, as well as a media partnership with Bloomberg New Energy Finance and partnerships with international organisations such as ACORE. One of the Council’s greatest strengths is that it is structured so that each member can lead or participate in projects that best suit their capacities and interests. As such, the CEBC is able to harness each member’s comparative advantage and use it to achieve the
Dr Nasser Saidi
common objective of building a viable clean energy and technology sector for MENA. Since its first board meeting at the World Future Energy Summit of 2011, the CEBC has been active in public outreach and advocacy by holding and participating in events and promoting initiatives across the region, both open to the public and exclusive to members. The CEBC interactive energy map, launched in October 2012 and continuously updated, compiles over 100 existing renewable energy projects in the Middle East , running the gamut from small, off grid projects of several kW to the 100 MW, utility-scale projects like Shams, and has been a major source of information to stakeholders. In 2013, along with our usual event partnerships, the CEBC was given a World Future Energy Summit 2013 session exclusively dedicated to this map, a first of its type in the region. The map is available at: http://www.cleanenergybusinesscouncil.com/en/map/ In March of 2013, the CEBC, in cooperation with the Climate Bonds Initiative and The Gulf Bond and Sukuk Association, launched the Green Sukuk Working Group. The group aims to channel market expertise to develop best practices and promote the issuance of Sukuk for the financing of climate change investments and projects, such as renewable energy projects. For our members only, there are many private events such as our ongoing CEBC Clean Energy Leaders Series that features exclusive members-only closed door sessions with leading policy makers and decision makers in the clean energy sector in the region. Upcoming, is a session with Founder and CEO of Bloomberg New Energy Finance Michael Liebreich, who is also on our board. The last session we organised was with Majid Jafar, CEO of Crescent Petroleum and Founder of the Arab Stabilisation Plan. This year, the Council will once again be holding its muchawaited annual event with an impressive list of industry speakers and a session of CEBC connections. Exclusive to the CEBC, CEBC connections is a unique forum that brings together clean energy projects and start-up companies seeking finance with the most suitable potential investors. A CEBC goal is to help create an energy ecosystem that is resource efficient, does not contribute to climate change, while addressing complications associated with polluting energy technologies. We are happy to announce; we are off to a good start.
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POWER AND WATER
Presented by:
POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
POWER AND WATER
In association with MiddleEastTenders.com
POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
10 projects that matter | CLEan ENERGY
Noor 1 Photovoltaic Solar Power Plant Project Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to build Noor 1 photovoltaic solar power plant with capacity of 100 MW. COUNTRY: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) BUDGET: 600,000,000 CLIENT: Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (MASDAR) CONTRACTORS: Not Applicable CONSULTANTS: Lahmeyer International has been appointed technical consultant REMARKS: Noor 1 project will be located to the east of Al Ain city in Al-Aflaj. Unlike concentrated solar power technology (used in Shams 1) which generates electricity from the heat of the sun, the Noor 1 project will use the photovoltaic (PV) solar technology which can directly convert the sunlight into electricity. The client owns 60% of this project, while French energy giant Total and Spain’s Abengoa share the rest equally. Bids are currently under evaluation for the EPC contract on this scheme. An award is expected in the second half of 2013. Construction of the plant is expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2013. Project completion is expected in 2014.
Al-Shaqaya Wind Power Plant Project 10 MW capacity wind power pant COUNTRY: Kuwait BUDGET: Not Available CLIENT: Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) CONTRACTORS: Not Applicable CONSULTANTS: Not Applicable REMARKS: The tender is open to following companies: EDF-En, France; Xinjiang Gold Wind Science & Technology, China; Elsewedy Power/Schneider / Mtoi / Guris Electric, Turkey, Egypt, Spain; Sanjose Constructora, Spain; Isolux Ingenieria S.A, Spain; Energia Recursos Ambientates S.A, Spain; Renco SPA, Italy; Cruptiz / Renovelia Energy, Spain; Ifeeriksen AG Germany & Module; Regen Powertech, India; Elecnor, Spain; Toshiba, Japan; Gamesa Wind Turbines, Insolar energy, India; Renerco Renewable Energy Concepts AG, Germany; Orascom Construction - Flagsd, Egypt; TSK Electronica Y Electronicdad S.A, Spain.
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Maan Wind Power Project Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract to build a wind farm in the area of Maan with capacity of 65-75 MW. COUNTRY: Jordan BUDGET: Not Available CLIENT: Ministry of Energy & Mineral Resources (Jordan) CONTRACTORS: Not Applicable CONSULTANTS: Not Applicable REMARKS: This project will be located in the southern part of Jordan. Request for proposals for the EPC contract is expected to be issued soon. An award is expected in the fourth quarter of 2013. Construction is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2014. The scope of the EPC contract will cover engineering and design, procurement, supply and transportation, construction and installation as well as commissioning of the wind turbines including LV/MV transformers and control system, the MV and signal cabling system, the MV/HV substation and grid connection including control system, the necessary equipment to interface the project with the electrical network, all required civil works including the construction of the foundations, access roads, wind farm internal roads, crane platforms, substation and O&M building, and an operation & management contract for the wind farm.
10 projects that matter | CLEan ENERGY
Gulf of Zeit Wind Farm Project - Stage 2 Construction of a wind farm with capacity of 220 MW in Gulf of Zeit district - Stage 2. BUDGET: USD 460,000,000 COUNTRY: Egypt CLIENT: New & Renewable Energy Authority (Egypt) CONTRACTOR: Not Applicable CONSULTANT: Lahmeyer International GmbH (Egypt) is project manager; Japan International Cooperation Agency (Egypt) is specialist consultant. REMARKS: This plant will be located on the Red Sea coast in Egypt. The project is part of second stage of wind energy development in Egypt. Short listing of prequalified companies is still under progress. RFP for the construction contract is expected to be issued in the third quarter of 2013. Project completion is anticipated in the fourth quarter of 2015. The feasibility study was carried out by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Photovoltaic Farm Construction Project Beirut River Solar Snake Phase 4 Construction of a photovoltaic farm with a power generation capacity of 10MW at Beirut River Solar Snake (BRSS) - Phase 4. COUNTRY: Lebanon BUDGET: Not Available CLIENT: Lebanese Centre for Energy Conservation (LCEC) CONTRACTORS: Not Applicable CONSULTANTS: Not Applicable REMARKS: This project is in Beirut. The purpose is to generate power to decrease the country’s power deficit by introducing renewable energy. The plant will generate a combined capacity of 9MW to reach 10MW as a final capacity, while the solar panels will cover 6.5 kilometres. It is understood that the project will be financed through a special financing mechanism (to be developed) with seed money coming from the cost of produced electricity being paid by Electricite du Liban (EDL) to a special account managed by the client. The project is currently under planning. A schedule is yet to be announced.
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10 projects that matter | CLEan ENERGY
Azraq Photovoltaic Solar Plant
Photovoltaic Solar Power Plant Project
Construction of a Grid Connected Photovoltaic Solar Plant at Azraq.
Supply, installation of a one megawatt rooftop photovoltaic solar power plant at Al Assimah
BUDGET: Not Available COUNTRY: Jordan CLIENT: Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) CONTRACTOR: Not Applicable CONSULTANT: Not Applicable REMARKS: The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) has obtained an allocation of funds from the Bilateral Spanish-Jordan Debt Swap Mechanism towards the cost of establishing a Solar PV grid connected plant at Azraq, located about 100 kilometres east of Jordan’s capital, Amman. Jordan’s Renewable Energy law calls for renewable resources to account for 10% of the country’s energy mix by 2020. EPC bids have been invited for the project.
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BUDGET: USD 3,100, 000 COUNTRY: Kuwait CLIENT: Ministry of Electricity & Water (MEW) CONTRACTOR: Not Applicable CONSULTANT: Not Applicable REMARKS: Local company Bader-Al Mullah & Brothers have been awarded the main contract for this scheme. They had submitted a bid of USD 4.6 million to build the project. The decision to make the formal award is with Kuwait’s Tender Board. The solar PV panels are to be installed in the rooftops of the MEW building and the adjacent Ministry of Public Works building with a combined rooftop area of 8,400 square metres.
10 projects that matter | CLEan ENERGY
Wind Farm Project-7 Construction of a wind farm with power generation capacity between 50 MW and 100 MW. COUNTRY: Lebanon BUDGET: Not Available CLIENT: Lebanese Centre for Energy Conservation (LCEC) CONTRACTORS: Not Applicable CONSULTANTS: Not Applicable REMARKS: Four companies have submitted bids for the main contract. They are Arabian Construction Company, Caporal & Moretti, El Sewedy Cables Company and Ghaddar Machinery Company. Evaluation of bids is currently underway. An award is expected in the third quarter of 2013. This project is being implemented to promote non-hydro renewable projects and to have a minimum of 60 to 100 MW to be powered by wind by the private sector by 2013 and to have 12% from renewable energy by 2020.
Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Projects Solar farm project Construction of a five megawatt solar farm in Sharjah. BUDGET: Not Available COUNTRY: Sharjah, United Arab Emirates CLIENT: Proventus Renewables, UK CONTRACTOR: Not Applicable CONSULTANT: Not Applicable REMARKS: The project will be built in Al Dhaid in Sharjah. The client has signed a memorandum of understanding with Dubai-based ABC Facilities Management to work jointly on building the project. Proventus Renewables director Samrat Deep Bhandari said the partnership marked the first step in the Middle East region for the Ireland-based renewable energy company. Proventus Energy’s main investments, to date, have been in wind and solar farms in Bulgaria.
Waste-to-Energy (WTE) projects for solid municipal waste treatment and power generation according to the existing policies and regulations for renewable energy. BUDGET: Not Available COUNTRY: Jordan CLIENT: Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) CONTRACTOR: Not Applicable CONSULTANT: Not Applicable REMARKS: The client had set a deadline of 20th June for Expressions of Interest (EOI) from interested parties. Only domestic wastes generated in Jordan shall be treated in the WTE plant. Waste import from other countries is not allowed to be treated in the WTE plant. The interested applicant needs to provide evidence of its technical and financial capabilities to manage the design, engineering, construction, financing, operation and maintenance of Waste-to-Energy projects of similar conditions and type. The government plans to generate 50MW through WTE technology by 2020.
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POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
MArket place
Bentley
Field Supervisor
i
Pads have created a new platform for mobile productivity, and Bentley has matched the flexibility of this form factor with Field Supervisor, a new, industrial-strength iPad APP which extends the reach of information securely managed by Bentley’s ProjectWise and eB, as well as data stored in other user repositories, to construction workers in the field – providing both online and offline access. Bentley claims that field workers can use the data to make on-site decisions based on a unified view of relevant, current, and complete project information, and also create personalised views that group and filter information stored in multiple project data sources based on its relevance to their specific project roles and tasks. Oneclickaccess into these views and one-tap synchronisation with the data source, the company further claims, makes it simple to locate the exact types and most current versions of information needed – whether engineering documents or Microsoft Office documents – further accelerating the decision-making process. Harry Vitelli, Bentley vice president, construction and field, said, “Supervisors, foremen, inspectors, and other field construction professionals are tired of wasting countless hours searching through sometimes hundreds of printed documents to find the handful that are relevant to their project tasks. And once they locate the ones they’re looking for, they’re never sure the information is up to date – which is of particular concern when the decisions being made impact safety compliance and/or risk management. Field Supervisor brings a new level of confidence and assurance to onsite decision making, enabling users to, for example, find and securely access i-models stored in ProjectWise for transfer to and review in our Navigator Mobile Bentley App. Moreover, through Bentley’s mobile development tools, its capabilities can be adapted to a wide range of user data sources, as well as extended to accommodate specific enterprise requirements.” For more information, email ron.kuhfeld@bentley.com
Scott Safety ZM Protégé Single Gas Monitor
S
cott Safety has launched Protégé ZM Single Gas Monitor, which the company claims, is a zero maintenance solution requiring neither battery charging nor sensor calibration to operate the monitor. Three single gas models are available including Oxygen, Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen Sulphide. The product meets IP67 requirements for ingress protection. “We designed this monitor with ease of use and comfort in mind. The unique “Protégé profile” fits your hand nicely making the monitor comfortable to hold. It’s so lightweight and small, you will forget you’re wearing it while it protects you,” says Mel Gerst, Scott Safety’s Global Product Line Manager for Portable Gas Detection. “The monitor is very simple to use. Just turn it on for the first time, and it does the rest. Using the default settings from the factory there is no need to set up or program the monitor.” The Protégé ZM’s features include customisable settings like the Hibernate mode (available on the CO and H2S models) to put the monitor in a deep sleep for up to one year to extend the operating life beyond two years. Users can customise the alarm set points themselves or order monitors with custom alarm set points programmed by the factory. Users can also set up custom bump and calibration reminders. The monitor has the option to display continuous gas readings, life remaining or both. The monitor has a three point alarm (audible, visual, and tactile) and data logging capabilities. For more information, email Zarin@ yardstick-marketing.com POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
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MArket place
Fluid Components International (FCI) SINGER VALVE
New Automated Pilot Control
S
inger Valve has launched the new 420DC or 420-AC Automated Pilot Control to automate water systems. Mark Gimson, Business Development and Marketing Manager for Singer Valve said, “In this new model we have added over-volt protection, 4-20mA feedback, O ring sealed, explosion proof housing with new certification and a more modular design so repair can be done on specific parts that need it.” In addition, Singer has doubled the torque on the motors which the company claims increases the actuator’s operational life significantly. According to the press release issued by the company, the pilot control offers programmable span and speed control via USB cable and software and can be field calibrated using a laptop and standard USB connection rather than a custom cable. This reduces the number of wires in the connecting cable to the actuator making it easier to install. The motor actuator responds to a 4-20 mA signal, rotating the pilot adjusting screw corresponding to the change in signal. The number of turns is adjustable and may be programmed to suit the pressure changes required for the application. With four different motors and modular boards, parts can be replaced in the field. The 420-DC or 420-AC requires less than two amps of power to operate, controlled by the 4-20 mA signal from the water distribution SCADA system. The very low power requirement lends itself to a self-contained station. Extended power failure would result in relatively steady pressure at the last setting. Optional freeze or default to high or low pressure is available on loss of signal. Singer claims that thanks to IP68 certification, not only can the 420DC withstand water, it is capable of being totally submerged and still operating to a depth of seven feet for 24 hours. There is also built in surge suppression for protection against voltage spikes. The closed loop positioning systems offers predicable and repeated accuracy.
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New air/gas mass flow meter
F
luid Components International (FCI) has launched their new ST102A Air/Gas Mass Flow Meter with dual averaging for chemical, power generation, oil & gas, water and wastewater treatment sectors. The new ST102A’s advanced dual-element averaging system, claims FCI, improves installation repeatability and accuracy for larger diameter pipes and ducts of sizes 305 mm or greater. Distorted, swirling and non-repeatable flow profiles can result in decreased accuracy of single point meters. It is often impractical or impossible to provide the required straight-run for a fully developed flow profile in large lines. The ST102A Flow Meter overcomes these flow profile concerns with a dual-element averaging system. The transmitter electronics average the input from two independent flow elements into a single output. Each flow element can be independently configured for insertion length and process connection to allow installation flexibility. One flow element can be integral with the flow transmitter, or both can be configured as remote for access and visibility to the digital display/optical four button user interface. The flow transmitter also provides independent information for each flow element, saving time when performing service checks. FCI’s ST102A Flow Meter and the entire ST100 Series Flow Meter set a new industry benchmark in process and plant air/gas flow measurement, offering the most feature-rich and function-rich electronics available. Their performance delivers unsurpassed adaptability and value to meet plant gas flow measurement in large line applications for today and tomorrow. ST100 Series Flow Meter can accommodate traditional analog outputs, or digital bus communications such as HART, Foundation Fieldbus, Profibus or Modbus. If the plant’s DCS or PLC interface changes over time or is upgraded, the ST102A Flow Meter can be adapted with a plug-in card replacement that can be changed out in the field. The ST100 Series Flow Meter is equipped with a graphical, multivariable, backlit LCD display/readout with continuous display of all process measurements and alarm status. It can store up to five unique calibration groups to accommodate broad flow ranges, differing mixtures of the same gas and multiple gases, and obtains up to 1000:1 turndown. An on-board data logger with a removable 2-GB micro-SD memory card is capable of storing 21 million readings. ST100 Series is suitable for service up to 454 degree C and are available with both integral and remote (up to 1000 feet [300 meters]) electronics versions. The ST100 is agency approved for hazardous environments, including the entire instrument, the transmitter and the NEMA 4X/IP67 rated enclosure. Instrument approvals include FM, FMc, ATEX, IECEx, InMetro, GOST, and NEPSI.
MARKET PLACE
SPOTLIGHT / FLUKE MArket place
FLUKE Fluke
New Visual IR Thermometer
F
luke has launched the Fluke VT04 Visual IR Thermometer with built-in digital camera and thermal heat map overlay for trouble shooting in electrical, industrial maintenance, HVAC/R, and automotive applications. Building on the Fluke VT02, the VT04 adds PyroBlend Plus with a four times sharper resolution than the VT02 and automatic alarm features. “Compact and affordable enough to outfit an entire team, the VT02 and VT04 are designed to be with you at all times as a frontline troubleshooting tool in the Middle East,” said Fluke Business Unit Manager, Jay Choi. According to the press release issued by the company, the VT04 includes advanced alarm features for troubleshooting intermittent issues, including a hi-lo temperature alarm that flashes on the screen if the userselected temperature goes out of the selected range; a time-lapse image capture that can be set to capture images in 30-second to one-hour intervals; and an automonitor alarm that initiates image capture automatically after a temperature alarm has been triggered, allowing users to automatically capture images — even while the VT04 is unattended — using the universal tripod mount. It displays and saves images as full digital, full infrared, or in three blended modes (25, 50, and 75%) with 40% wider field of view than the VT02. Markers pinpoint hot and cold spots indicating the hottest and coldest temperatures on the screen. A temperature reading is provided at the center point. Images are saved to the included micro-SD card. The VT04 Visual IR Thermometer also has a rechargeable Li-ion battery. Images from the VT04 can be imported into the included SmartView analysis and reporting software, to produce reports that document problems detected or repairs made for management and customer review.
New 3-phase electrical energy logger
T
he new Fluke 1730 Three-Phase Electrical Energy logger introduces a new simplicity to discovering sources of electrical energy waste. Discover when and where energy in your facility is being consumed; from the service entrance to individual circuits. Profiling energy usage across your facility helps you identify opportunities for energy savings, and provides you with the data you need to act on them. The new Energy Analyse software package allows you to compare multiple data points over time to build a complete picture of energy usage, which is the first step to reduce the cost of your energy bill. • Key measurements: voltage, current, power, power factor and associated values enable energy saving strategies to be implemented. • Bright, colour touch screen: perform convenient in-the-field analysis and data checks with full graphical display. • Comprehensive logging: All measured values are automatically logged and can be reviewed during logging and before downloading for on thego analysis. More than 20 separate logging sessions can be stored on the instrument. • Optimised user interface: Quick, guided, graphical setup ensures you’re capturing the right data every time, and the intelligent verification function indicates correct connections have been made, reducing user uncertainty. • Complete ‘in-the-field’ setup through the front panel: no need to return to the workshop for download and setup or to take a computer to the electrical panel. • Wide range power: power instrument directly from the measured circuit eliminating the need to find a power outlet while allowing the instrument to be secured safely inside electrical panels. • Two USB ports: One for PC connection and another for fast, simple download to standard USB thumb drives, or other USB devices. • Compact size: Designed to fit in tight spaces and panels. • Highest safety rating in the industry: 600 V CAT IV/1000 V CAT III rated for use at the service entrance and downstream. • Optimised measurement accessories: flat voltage cable and thin flexible current probes ensure easy installation even in tight spaces. • Battery life: four-hour operating time (backup time) per charge on lithium-ion battery. • Security: safeguard against theft with a Kensington lock. • All new, Energy Analyse application software: download, analyse and automated reporting for a complete picture of energy saving potential. POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
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Test & MEASUREMENT
Never take a transformer for granted! It is far better to allow testing to tell you whether your transformer is fine or not, advises Tony Wills, Technical Support Group, Megger
P
ower transformers play a key role in every electrified rail network and unexpected transformer failures can cause severe and protracted disruption to rail services. That’s why routine diagnostic testing of power transformers is important, especially as many of the power transformers in Britain’s rail networks have been in service for decades. There’s simply no getting away from the fact that like people, transformers deteriorate with age. The problem is that with power transformers, unlike people, most signs of deterioration are invisible. An old transformer may appear to be working well, right up to the instant it fails catastrophically and without warning. And, while age is the most common cause of failures, it is by no means the only one. Even new transformers can be damaged internally while being delivered and installed, and any transformer can suffer invisible damage as the result of a short circuit or prolonged overload. Before considering what can be done to minimise transformer failures,
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let’s consider their consequences. The immediate effect is loss of supply capacity. In most cases, backup capacity will be available, but the failure leaves the system critically weakened – a second failure could easily lead to a complete loss of supplies with the potential for massive and costly disruption to rail travel. So let’s hope there’s a replacement transformer in stock because the lead time on a new unit is likely to be months or even years. Then there’s the cost of replacing the failed transformer. With today’s record copper and steel prices on world markets, new transformers are eye-wateringly expensive. And we haven’t even considered the consequential costs, such as the financial penalties and loss of profit when trains don’t run. It is possible to guard against unexpected transformer failures; the key is regular testing. But what type of testing? There are many conventional tests for power transformers and they are all useful in appropriate applications. However building up a reasonably complete picture of transformer condition with these tests
is time consuming and during most of the tests the transformer will be out of service. Fortunately, there are two innovative tests – sweep frequency response analysis (SFRA) and frequency domain spectroscopy (FDS) – that between them provide dependable information about the presence and often the location of transformer faults. Electrically, a transformer can be considered as multiple capacitances, inductances and resistances. It is in effect, a complex circuit that produces a unique ‘fingerprint’ when test signals are injected over a range of frequencies and the results plotted as a curve. The SFRA test for transformers makes comparisons between measured curves to detect variations that may be indicative of mechanical or electrical problems with the transformer. Ideally, SFRA tests are used to capture reference curves when the transformer is new or known to be in good condition. These curves can then be used as the basis for future comparisons. However it is also possible to use typebased comparisons between transformers
Test & MEASUREMENT
with the same design or, in some cases, comparisons between windings in the same transformer. SFRA tests can detect problems that would otherwise require multiple tests with various kinds of test equipment, as well as problems that cannot be detected at all by other tests. In the latest SFRA test sets, built-in analytical tools simplify comparisons between curves and the identification of faults. SFRA tests do not, however, give an accurate indication of the presence of contaminants – in particular water – in the transformer insulation. Standard tests are available for assessing the moisture content of transformer oil, but this is not the whole story. In fact, it is usual for more of the moisture in a transformer to be held in solid insulation such as paper than in the oil. Also, moisture moves between solid insulants and the oil in a way that is influenced by many factors including, in particular, temperature. Measuring moisture in the oil many not, therefore, provide dependable information about moisture in the solid insulation. This is important, as moisture
in the solid insulation accelerates the ageing process and, in addition, it can cause bubbles between windings that lead to sudden catastrophic failures. To establish the moisture content in the transformer, frequency domain spectroscopy (FDS) is used. Like SFRA, this involves measuring transformer characteristics over a range of frequencies. This time, however, it’s the dielectric properties of the insulation (capacitance, loss and power factor) that are measured. These are, in essence, the same dielectric tests that are often carried out at power frequency. Unlike spot-frequency testing, however, FDS can distinguish between a transformer that is dry but has bad oil, and one that is wet but has good oil. FDS testing can be performed at any temperature, and the test is completed quickly. As we’ve seen, regular SFRA and FDS testing provide dependable information on transformer condition, but what can be done if the news is bad? The answer depends on the type of problem found but if the oil has high moisture content, it
can be reconditioned. If there is excessive moisture in the solid insulation, the transformer can be dried out. Should the transformer show more general deterioration due to ageing, it may be possible to transfer it to less arduous duty and even if no remedial action is possible, knowing that a transformer is at risk of failure at least allows contingency plans to be made. Naturally, there will be those who have concerns about the cost of buying the instruments needed for SFRA and FDS testing and the cost of carrying out the tests. When considering costs it is useful to think about the costs relating to a transformer failure. It then becomes readily apparent that if the test regime eliminates just one failure, the instruments are paid for along with the testing for months if not years. In conclusion, never take a power transformer for granted, especially an old one! It may be just fine or it may be on the point of failure. Time will tell, of course, but far better to allow testing to tell, thereby avoiding a lot of unnecessary inconvenience and cost. POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
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EVENTS S T N EVE November 26 - 28, 2013, Abu Dhabi
ADIPEC TROPHY
TRANSFORM 2013
November
10-13, 2013 Abu Dhabi ADIPEC ADIPEC - the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference - is the largest gas and oil event in the Middle East. Supported by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and the UAE’s Ministry of Energy, it hosts more than 1,600 exhibitors and attracts more than 50,000 attendees This year’s re-worked ADIPEC Awards – Excellence in Energy 2013 aims to recognise excellence in individual projects and departments of gas and oil companies in the Middle East and North Africa region; and to support development of a stronger, even more successful gas and oil business community throughout the region. ADIPEC’s technical gas and oil conference will take place alongside the exhibition at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) Contact: Mike Hughes, Marketing Manager Tel: +971 2 406 4477 E-mail: mikehughes@dmgeventsme.com URL: www.adipec.com. 64
November
14, 2013, Dubai CEBC Annual Event The Clean Energy Business Council’s (CEBC) annual event is themed ‘MENA - The Clean Energy Upstart? Challenges, Innovation, Unlimited Potential.’ This event will bring together industry leaders and experts from all over the MENA region in exciting panel discussions with a focus on the arrival of clean energy and energy/water efficiency in the region, its ramp up over the last number of years and the future potential for innovation in technology and finance. This event hopes to emphasise MENA’s potential for leadership in this space in the years to come. Ernst & Young will launch their Cleantech Report during the event Contact: Alice Cowman E-mail: alice@cleanenergybusinesscouncil.com URL: www.cleanenergybusinesscouncil.com
POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
Transform is held every two years at a different location and has become the main trade conference for decision makers at international transformer manufacturers, utilities and industrial companies. The 2013 edition in Abu Dhabi is themed ‘Pole position for Transformers.’ The exclusive exhibition cum event will have 10 European premium suppliers from the transformer industry making high-quality presentations. These include Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen (MR), Essex & LS Cable, GEA Renzmann & Grünewald, HSP & Trench Bushing Group, Krempel, Nynas AB, OMICRON electronics, PFISTERER Kontaktsysteme, Röchling Engineering Plastics and ThyssenKrupp Electrical Steel. The international TRANSFORM conference, which has been held every two years since 1998, is an established event in the industry for obtaining information about power transformer innovations and meeting with specialists. Contact: Markus Bauer Tel: +49 941 4090-5241 Fax: +49 941 4090-905241 E-mail: markus.bauer@reinhausen.com URL: www.reinhausen.com
FLIPSIDE
Stockholm Statement
The ‘Stockholm Statement’ calling for a Sustainable Development Goal on Water was presented during the closing session of Stockholm World Water Week, held from September 1-6, 2014 at Stockholm, Sweden. An outcome of broad consultations prior to and during the 2013 World Water Week, the statement calls upon the United Nations and its Open Working Group to propose a dedicated goal on water for a world where all people can live in safety and dignity. The statement proposes the following: By the year 2030, the following should have been achieved: A doubling of global water productivity The demand for water resources is increasing dramatically and this presents significant development risks. Growing population and economies coupled with urbanisation and climate change, exert mounting pressure on water resources all over the world. To meet the demand, there is great potential to use water more productively and derive significant benefits from cross-sectoral coordination. Allocating water equitably and efficiently within the ecological constraints will require improved management of water quality, use and reuse of water resources. These measures will help manage the increased demand – allowing the required growth in the provision of food, energy, goods and services, underpinning socio-economic development. Through stronger and smarter incentives for water use and innovative governance, it is possible to globally double the value from each litre of water used.
A realisation of the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation Investing in water and sanitation is a moral imperative, a basic requirement for safety and dignity and is compelling from an economic reality. Women and children often carry a disproportionate share of the burdens of water provision and lack of safe sanitation with serious repercussions on their health, security and education as well as their opportunities for development and prosperity. Political leadership and innovative governance are of critical importance to the realisation of the human right to safe water and sanitation. Increased resilience to water-related disasters Water is the fundamental link between the climate, the human society and the natural environment. Water-related disasters such as floods and droughts are the worst and most frequent natural calamities. Increasing resilience to water related
disasters by comprehensive risk management, sustaining healthy ecosystems and improving water quality are prerequisites for the provision of safe water, food, energy and other basic needs for people and societies in the future we want. Wise water management, building on ecosystem-based approaches, is essential for securing resilience. Integrating water resource management at all levels in the planning, building and governing of our societies will save lives, livelihoods and assets. stockholmstatement.siwi.org POWER & WATER MIDDLE EAST / OCTOBER 2013
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