Business Tracks

Geographic Information Systems

This business track is associated with the promotion, development, and implementation of Enterprise Geographic Information System. The business activities are related to the provision of utility expertise, business modeling, applications deployment, and assuring the synchronization of the geo-spatial platform with the physical development of the network.

NEEDS, over the last ten years, has executed an aggressive business development plan along with regional consulting firms for the promotion of Utility GIS to a number of Electric and Water Authorities to provide a paradigm-shift in the utility planning, operation, and service activities. This plan resulted in adopting large scale Enterprise GIS Projects in Lebanon, Abu Dhabi, and other Gulf Countries.

NEEDS Chairman with a highly specialized team is managing the process of building the geo-spatial platform for the transmission and distribution systems in a fast track mode at the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority. The team was able to position GIS in the core of most of business processes, which resulted in the growth of the GIS community from 300 users to 1000 Users. The work is under continuous development and upgrade.  As a result, the developed GIS platform is well recognized regionally and internationally.

Distribution Management System

This business track is associated with the promotion, development, and implementation of Distribution Management technologies as the core of the reengineering process of the utility business, where the SCADA and communication infrastructure are linked with DMS applications including energy flow, power losses minimization, load shedding optimization, assets loading maximization, and other applications to provide high reliability and security of supply services. The emphasis is being dedicated to the customization of DMS Software, development of GIS/DMS integration, proper network modeling, and data collection and validation processing. 

NEEDS has provided more than ten regional seminars and courses in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Dubai, and other countries in the region with a total contribution of more than 150 utility managers and engineers.

NEEDS Chairman with a highly specialized team currently working within Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority have completed  the development of two state-of-the-art Modern Distribution Centers for Abu Dhabi and Al-Ain cities, over a three-year program. An Automation and control strategy was developed and implementation plan is under execution to enhance the coverage of automated facilities in line of the network complexity and growth. This program is unique in the Gulf and MENA countries.

Advanced Metering Infrastructure

This business track is associated with the promotion, development and implementation of Smart Metering. The business activities are related to the provision of consulting services assuring the appropriate integration of high technology hardware and advanced sophisticated management and billing software into the utility and its existing power grid.

NEEDS developed the scope of work and initiated the bidding process for a country enterprise Collection, Management and Metering (CMM) project as part of launched program by Lebanese Government: Closing the Financial Gap in the Distribution Business (2005-2007). The project was aiming at creating a self-financed enterprise advanced metering system with a service contract agreement for billing and collection services. The project was awarded to CRAI/NEEDS where NEEDS was leading the CMM components of the project. 

NEEDS developed the scope of work and initiated the bidding process for the Advanced Metering Infrastructure project, for the implementation of the Monitoring Center – a part of the Policy paper approved by the Government of Lebanon on June 21, 2010. NEEDS addressed the overall AMI functionalities and components, including System Architecture, the AMI Hardware, Software and Database requirements, Billing System, and the Customer Relationship Management System for Electricité Du Liban. These functionalities will allow for, among others, the intelligent monitoring of consumption to accurately identify network losses, rapid outage detection to minimize customer impact, tamper/fraud detection, and power flow - financial transaction processing balance, providing the tools to locate and manage non-technical losses and improve revenue recovery. Within the same context, NEEDS conducted in April 2011 the ‘AMI/Communications and Billing/CRM Seminar – Lebanon 2011’ with the participation of leading international companies in the Smart Metering and Communication services field.  

NEEDS is well linked to the International AMI technology Community and actively involved in regional events (Sharam Sheikh, Dubai ...)

Energy Efficiency / Demand Side Management

This business track aims at achieving primary energy saving, consumer cost reduction, environmental protection and attaining a high level of sustainability and reliability of the power system through Load Management (Peak load reduction, Load Shifting) and Energy Efficiency (EPC-ESCO, Energy Audit).

Large Scale DSM program

NEEDS chairman with a highly specialized team is currently working within Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority in managing the implementation of a large scale demand side management project inside the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

MED-EMIP

The MED-EMIP project has an overall objective to support the implementation of the Euro-Mediterranean Energy Partnership’s on key energy policy and industry issues.   This project, funded by the EU, is of 3-year period starting January 2008.

NEEDS, as a consortium partner in this project, with GTZ Germany (Lead), OME France and Kuhbier Belgium, provides short term regional expertise and technology transfer, and is involved in the management and control tasks of the project.

MED-ENEC

MED-ENEC project, “Energy Efficiency in the Construction Sector in the Mediterranean”, aims at giving a boost to energy efficiency measures and to the use of solar energy in the construction sector. MED-ENEC is a project funded by the European Union, starting January 2006. The project scope covers the following 10 MEDA countries: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian Territories, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey.

NEEDS as a consortium partner to the MED-ENEC participated during the 3 years period of the project with the Consortium of GTZ Germany (Lead), ECOFYS Netherland and ERC Egypt in providing the regional management support, short terms regional expertise and the technology transfer. NEEDS co-managed more than 10 workshops and seminars,  and completed independently major Project millstones.

Technology Developments

NEEDS is promoting strongly the industrial development of advanced technology in the region.

NEEDS developed the feasibility study for a Medium Voltage Factory in the region. The Factory was launched by the investors with one of the leading technology providers in the world to cover the needs of five countries.

NEEDS is currently the program manager for building the first small scale wind energy farms in Lebanon.

Policy / Restructuring Programs

This business track is associated with the development, restructuring and reformation of existing utility sectors, administrations and services, and with the provision of consultation advices aiming at launching key strategic needed projects. NEEDS direct contribution had strong impact into two programs:

Strengthening the Capacity of the Ministry of Energy and Water (MOEW) to Implement Power Sector Policy Reforms

The project aims at assisting the MOEW in closing on-going projects, providing policy advice in key strategic areas such as fuel sourcing, generation development, energy regulator, another critical policy matters. The Project resulted in recommending the implementation of practical policy measures and reviewing all studies carried out in the energy sector for the past 5 years, determining the suitability of recommendations and identifying possible gaps that need to be closed by commissioning further studies. This project was financed by the World Bank (2007-2009).

Restructuring Distribution Business

The project aims at developing the Services Provider (SP) scope of work for the reengineering of the distribution services, and at proposing a structure based on the Asset Owner / Asset Operator Business model. The project was financed by the Lebanese government (2005-2007).

NEEDS Leadership in Specialized Programs

Energy Storage

This business Innovation is concerned with the deployment of realistic programs for power storage system which applies high energy density and high efficient batteries in order to provide load leveling with the high differences between day and night load and throughout the seasons, and to secure additional emergency supply facilities.

NEEDS Chairman is leading the first Program of this type in Abu Dhabi City in line with latest technological advancements in Japan and USA.  The program is under continuous development where energy storage facilities will be part of the overall energy supply system.

Distributed Generation

Distributed generations are small-scale power generation sources distributed close to customers side, and are designed to supply electricity in a frequent manner. This concept is expecting to mark a significant change in the electric utility business.

NEEDS provides consulting services to the various distributed generated projects, for both novel renewable resource technologies and traditional power system. A “Plug in Power” Program, developed by NEEDS for Saudi market, was initiated since year 2002 and has exceeded a business turnover of 80 M USD in less than seven years.

NEEDS Services are in engineering, technical and financial consultancy, for the various solutions like wind, PV, batteries, and existing technologies in the power market.

Smart Grid

NEEDS initiated the Research and Development Programs for the development of radical transformation of the power grid in different countries of the region into a real smart grid with multi-supply/generation components and schemes, storage facilities, increased connectivity, embedded automation/control and information platforms, and dynamic coordination/interaction between power suppliers, utility networks and consumers.

NEEDS is capitalizing on the achieved success in the practical realization of the Digital transformation of Utility Business Environment to move ahead with targeting customized achievable programs for the implementation of the Smart Grid in the region.