CESI Middle East wins prestigious project to develop smart grid and smart metering strategy for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

This new mandate, which is the first kingdom-wide project of its kind to be undertaken in Saudi Arabia, not only increases CESI Middle East's leadership position in the Middle East, but also gives further impetus to the development of future plans based on renewable energy across the Middle East as the implementation of smart grids allows for a switch from conventional energy to renewable energy.

In addition to the Arab Fund feasibility study to determine the best electric energy and natural gas trade scenarios to create a single energy market for 20 Arab countries, CESI Middle East has already undertaken electricity projects to connect Saudi Arabia with Egypt and Yemen.

Commenting on this agreement, Floris Schulze, Managing Director of CESI Middle East, said: "This project is a very important step for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the region in moving towards the global future of electricity and energy and the development and implementation of newer, more advanced technologies and innovations that will deliver sustainable solutions and cost-saving through energy conservation. Smart metering and smart grids are a growing trend across the region and deserve serious consideration and formulation of a strategic plan for their deployment. The Middle East electricity market is forecasted to grow at an accelerated rate over the next few years due to higher consumption rates. This results in the need for a successful implementation strategy that can bridge the gap between the supply and demand - a smart grid network makes for the ideal bridge where the goals of modernization can meet those of a reliable public infrastructure."

The study's primary objectives will include:
• Identifying Saudi Arabia's current and future challenges that a smart meters/smart grids strategy can help overcome.
• Investigating and reviewing available smart metering technologies that are best suited for the Saudi Electricity Industry and its customers.
• Assisting ECRA and representatives of the major electricity industry stakeholders in the Kingdom to determined and finalise the salient functional requirements of proposed Smart Meters and Advanced Metering Infrastructure to be deployed.
• Developing an overall (high level) Smart Grid deployment strategy for Saudi Arabia.
• Advising on and help preparing the most efficient implementation, gradual and timely rolling-out of Smart Meters.

CESI, which will be working on this project with global management consulting firm A.T. Kearney, advised the consortiums that deployed the smart metering project in Italy (involving 30 million customers) and Spain (16 million customers), making it the only technical consultant who has worked on the two largest smart meter programmes to be deployed in the world.

Jose Antonio Alberich, partner at A.T. Kearney said, "We are delighted to partner with a leading technical consulting company such as CESI on such an important project for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Our vast knowledge of the Middle East region, coupled with CESI's technical expertise in smart grids and smart meters, will undoubtedly allow the kingdom to take a big step forward in energy conservation and long-term sustainability."