About Kema

Established in 1927, KEMA is an independent knowledge leader and a global provider of high-quality services to the energy chain, specializing in business & technical consultancy, operational support, measurements & inspection, and testing & certification. KEMA provides impartial advice and support to the producers, suppliers and end users of electricity, gas and heat, as well as to governmental bodies.

Technical innovation lies at the heart of much of what we do. Our team of more than 1,600 professionals based in twenty countries around the world is dedicated to the provision of customized solutions. This encompasses everything from the origination of innovative, yet practical, answers to the energy-related problems of the future, to the development and implementation of cutting-edge quality assurance services for electrical and other high-risk equipment and processes. For more than eighty years quality, integrity, reliability and expertise have been KEMA's core values.

Those four core values are of fundamental significance due to the complexity of the settings in which KEMA operates. The international energy world must soon face its greatest challenge: realizing a sustainable balance between economic interests, securing an affordable energy supply and addressing growing concerns about our environment and climate. This challenge has to be faced against a background of ever-increasing energy demand.

Broad variety in projects

KEMA has executed a large variety of projects for more than 500 clients in more than 70 countries. In many projects KEMA played a role as independent engineer, independent third party inspection body, project manager, owners engineer, specialist, consultant or testing agent. Our consultancy, engineering and testing departments are well-experienced at working on a wide scope-basis of international standards, including ISO, IEC, ANSI, ASME, and are certified according to Quality System Standard ISO 9001 and according to the Dutch standard for Health & Safe working environment ("VCA") during projects. KEMA participates in several international networks of Experts and Consultants, such as: International Energy Agency, CIGRE, Unipede, Cenelec, Vereinigung der Groß Kraftwerk Betreiber, IEC, Eurelectric, EPRI, International Electricity Research Exchange, Cogen-Europe et cetera.

Long-term engagement in the Middle East

KEMA has achieved a world-wide reputation for professional services. KEMA provides support to investors in and owners of energy producing and environmental protecting systems, or in their relevant decision-making processes and subsequent project realization.

Also in the Middle East, where KEMA has its office in Dubai, the company has executed a broad variety of projects. Examples of these are:

• Feasibility study and conceptual design power supply scheme to The World

Commissioned by the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority, KEMA has carried out a feasibility study and prepared a conceptual design for the power supply schemes for the 'World Islands' and for Logo Island, which is located near Palm Jumeira. The total connected load on the island is in the order of 1500 MW.

DEWA appointed KEMA as their technical consultant for the following tasks:

- conceptual design of the transmission system to the islands

- conceptual design of the distribution systems between the islands

- selection of the most appropriate voltage levels

- cable design

- design and specifications for land and submarine cables, including appliances

- cost estimates.

• Consultancy services for five 400 kV series reactors

Also commissioned by the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority, KEMA has carried out all necessary studies to determine the optimal Ohmic size of the series reactors and ensure safe installation of these series reactors. This included short circuit and load flow studies, dynamic studies, harmonic studies and Transient Recovery Voltage (TRV), Very Fast Transients (VFT), switching and lightning studies. The capabilities of the existing circuit breakers were assessed based on the performed TRV analysis. KEMA prepared the specification for the series reactors, evaluated the tenders and assessed the potential suppliers and factories. KEMA performed design reviews of the series reactors, witnessed Factory Inspection Tests (FAT) and site commissioning of the series reactors.

• Formulation of UAE's Electricity & Water Authority transmission & distribution utility business activities

Commissioned by an UAE's Electricity & Water Authority, KEMA has optimized maintenance and related operating processes of its entire electricity transmission and distribution (T&D) network. During the 18-month project KEMA has assisted this regulator in accomplishing its overall goal to become an international leader in operational excellence.

An important part of the activities included implementation of KEMA's CASCADE system, an equipment health-based asset management IT system. As the only such system designed exclusively for the electric utility industry, this project was the first application of CASCADE outside the US where it already serves over 70 utility customers. KEMA also provided a comprehensive inventory and condition assessment of all of the authority's T&D equipment, including revision of all asset-related business processes and definition of adequate maintenance programs.

• Recommendations for regulation in Oman with respect to health effects of 50Hz electric and magnetic fields

The Authority for Electricity Regulation (AER), Oman, wants to prepare new regulations to limit exposure to extreme low frequency (ELF) electric and magnetic fields (EMF) in accordance with international best practice. The AER has requested KEMA's assistance during the preparation of new regulations.

The goals of the investigation of KEMA were to:

-       perform measurements of extremely low frequency (ELF) electric and magnetic fields (EMF) in the vicinity of several types of electric  utility infrastructure;

-       review the status of scientific research into health effects of ELF-EMF, review international guidelines, regulations and measures, and make recommendations for new ELF-EMF regulation for the Sultanate of Oman;

-       conduct a seminar to present the results and recommendations.

• Root cause analysis underground cables

Commissioned by the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority, KEMA was assigned to find the

root cause of the increasing number of failures in the MV cable network by analyzing 75 joints from the field, by analyzing failure statistics and by interview data. Next to finding the root cause of the failing joint, a program of recommendations was provided to first stabilize and reduce the number of faults.

• Implementing Pulse Chlorination®: an environmental friendly way to use chlorine in cooling water systems

KEMA has developed a technology, Pulse Chlorination®, which has become a proven technology that offers operational, environmental and economic benefits. One of the companies facing the challenge of making it's cooling water system more environment friendly was liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer Qatargas. The state environmental regulator has been incrementally reducing the maximum chlorine concentration permitted in discharged cooling seawater from 0.2 to 0.05 milligrams per liter. Meeting these stricter regulations sounds like a tall order, but by switching to PulseChlorination® Qatargas is predicting compliance with the new regulations on a mass balance basis. Qatargas will be the first company in the Indian Ocean region to use this pace-setting technology. So, also from this respect, energy systems can demonstrably be made more environment friendly. That is why Qatargas won an environmental award at the RECSO Offshore Arabia Conference in the category 'Excellence in Environment Technology'.