The Rural Areas Electricity Company (RAECo) awards CESI Middle East to provide consltancy services in implementing renewable energy projects- paving the way for a more sustainable future

Muscat, Oman: 06 September 2015 - CESI Middle East, a global leader in technical consulting and engineering, signed an agreement with the Rural Areas Electricity Company in Oman (RAECo), having been awarded to provide consultancy services supervising the development and implementation of a number of renewable energy projects in the country. The projects will be located in Dhofar and Al Wusta Governates, with feasibility studies en route determining their final location. 

With a focus on working towards a more sustainable future, securing a less polluted environment the Sultanate of Oman has consistently sought to move past its dependence on fossil fuels to meet the energy needs of its current population. CESI's specialized know-how, technical excellence, and strong understanding of the country's and region's energy sector, will be providing RAECo with the expertise to implement renewable energy systems across the different projects, in-turn saving manpower, spare parts and most importantly, reducing the consumption of diesel fuel.

With Oman having one of the highest levels of solar energy densities in the world, receiving up to 7,900 gigawatts from the Sun per day, RAECo chose an industry leader to utilize this significant advantage and oversee the construction and implementation of renewable resource generators reducing the country's heavy reliance on fossil fuels.

CESI's extensive experience in the study of potential renewable resources generators and their performance evaluation will be used to provide RAECo with a range of support services including the development of a new internal Renewable Energy strategy and policy, which will outline how to increase the percentage of electricity that is produced from renewable energy plants. The internal strategy will further assist RAECo in an Eco-technical evaluation of the received bids from bidders defining broader capability criteria.

CESI will also conduct an array of trainings aimed at enhancing RAECo's staff capabilities of performing the implementation activities and in dealing with any renewable energy technology matters.

The various construction and implementation phases for the selected projects will be under the supervision of CESI, who will be providing full technical and economic feasibility studies for each project, and assisting RAECo in the tendering phase and in the evaluation of bids.

Matteo Codazzi, CESI's CEO, commented:" We are honoured to get the opportunity in playing an importantrole in paving the way for Oman to create a more sustainable future through the use of renewable energies. Traditional energy resources such as fossil fuels are detrimental to the environment, expensive to retract, and are eventually deemed to run out. Cultivating renewable energies is the solution that every country will have to adopt and we are proud to work alongside RAECo in positioning Oman as a renewable energy leader in the region."

Dr. Floris Hendrikus Schulze , Managing Director, CESI Middle East commented, "We are extremely proud to be working alongside with RAECo in further developing and exploiting the benefits and advantages of Oman's renewable energy potential. CESI recently being awarded projects in the Sultanate of Oman, including the Automated Meter Reading project, will further solidify CESI's technical consulting experience in the country and the region."

Eng. Hamed Bin Salim Al Magdheri, CEO RAECo, Commented, "With Oman having one of the highest potential of harnessing solar energy in the world, RAECo's renewable energy projects will further enhance its position as one of the leading companies in the renewable energy sector. We are confident that our work with CESI will support the Sultanate of Oman in exploiting renewable energy resources, securing a sustainable future for generations to come."

It is noteworthy to mention that CESI has previously worked in Sultanate of Oman, collaborating with Oman's Electricity Holding Company SAOC (EHC) in the Sultanate to introduce automated meter reading technology or smart metering. CESI also provides technical services to update some of the system operational studies for GCCIA that has built a 400 kV super grid that connects the electrical power networks of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

About CESI
CESI is a world leading technical consulting and engineering company with over 50 years' experience operating in several areas including: Transmission and Interconnections, Smart Grids for Distribution, Renewables, Testing, Certification and Quality Assurance. CESI also develops and manufactures advanced multi junction photovoltaic solar cells for both space and terrestrial (HCPV) applications.

With an annual turnover of more than €120 million, CESI operates in more than 40 countries around the world, with a total network of 1,000 professionals. The company's key clients include governmental institutions, regulatory authorities, major utilities, Transmission System Operators (TSOs), Distribution System Operators (DSOs), generation companies, manufacturers, system integrators, financial institutions and international electromechanical and electronic manufacturers.

CESI is a fully independent joint-stock company with main premises in Milan, Berlin, Mannheim, Dubai and Rio de Janeiro.

For more information please contact:
Ahmad Issa
Hill+Knowlton Strategies
E: Ahmad.Issa @hkstrategies.com
M: +971 56 171 5400
Paolo Mereghetti
CESI
E: paolo.mereghetti@cesi.it
M: +39 3408640706

© Press Release 2015