Palo Alto, California, Oct. 21, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PALO ALTO, Calif. (October 21, 2019) – The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) have entered into a three-year memorandum of understanding to conduct collaborative research and development about artificial intelligence and blockchain technology and cybersecurity issues in the electric power sector.
“Working together we can address challenges arising from cyber threats, and we can bring more resources and perspectives to bear in pursuing solutions through emerging technologies,” said Arshad Mansoor, senior vice president, Research and Development, EPRI.
“As our region works to diversify energy supply and delivery, we can both learn from and contribute to the energy reliability and security of all systems,” said Ahmed Al-Ebrahim, Chief Executive Officer, GCC Interconnection Authority. “Through our collaboration with EPRI we expect good progress both in the research itself and in integrating our efforts with other leaders in the sector.”
EPRI and GCCIA signed the memorandum in San Francisco, Calif.
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About GCCIA
GCC Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) is a joint stock company subscribed by the six (6) Gulf States, whose Articles of Association and By-Laws were approved by Royal Decree No. M/21 on July 29, 2001, having its principal office located in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. GCCIA owns and operates transmission system connecting GCC to provide increased system security and achieve economic savings.
Since the start of GCCIA operations, GCCIA focused all its efforts on achieving its core objectives of Operating and Maintaining the 400kV backbone Interconnection to achieve power system security for the six GCC Member States (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain) with a total Power Generation capacity of about 100 Giga Watt.
GCCIA is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of high-level executives from the six GCC countries governed by a legal and an organizational framework. GCCIA Vision is “To become a hub in grid interconnections emphasizing on innovation, resiliency, and sustainability; and creating dynamic electricity market for the region and beyond.”
GCCIA has developed an expansion Plan to re-inforce its internal interconnection network between the GCC countries, and an expansion plan beyond GCC countries. GCCIA is working toward becoming a power system hub for the three continents Europe, Africa and Asia.
About EPRI
The Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (EPRI, www.epri.com) is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization, that conducts research and development relating to the generation, delivery and use of electricity for the benefit of the public, on a non-discriminatory basis. An independent organization, EPRI brings together its scientists and engineers as well as experts from academia and industry to help address challenges in electricity, including reliability, efficiency, health, safety and the environment. EPRI's members represent more than 90 percent of the electricity generated and delivered in the United States, and international participation extends to 40 countries. EPRI's principal offices and laboratories are located in Palo Alto, Calif.; Charlotte, N.C.; Knoxville, Tenn.; and Lenox, Mass.