LS Electric (010120) has obtained accredited testing laboratory status from the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), the largest power institution in the Middle East, and is moving to fully tap the regional market.
LS Electric said Wednesday that its Power Testing & Technology Institute (PT&T) was recently formally registered as an accredited laboratory of DEWA in the United Arab Emirates.
DEWA is a key institution that exerts significant influence in the power markets of six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. It effectively leads standards across business models, technical specifications and system criteria in the Middle East power and energy sector.
With the new accreditation, LS Electric can now carry out power equipment certification procedures essential for Middle East exports directly at PT&T within its Cheongju plant. As a result, the certification period is expected to be cut by more than half, dramatically reducing the time and cost from product development to local market response and further strengthening market responsiveness.
The Middle East power market applies International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) international standards, but major power authorities operate high-level certification requirements, demanding comprehensive test reports proving product safety and performance and certification from designated testing institutions for bidding participation.
The Middle East is one of four key markets driving global power infrastructure demand, alongside the United States, Europe and Asia. In particular, an explosive expansion of power infrastructure is expected if large-scale postwar reconstruction projects begin in earnest following the end of the war between the United States and Iran.
LS Electric's strategy is to fully tap the Middle East market through enhanced market response capabilities from the shortened testing and certification period, along with expanding its local sales network through partnerships and region-tailored marketing.
PT&T, the only private-sector power testing laboratory in Korea, was established in 1999 and has steadily secured certifications for key global standards, including UL of the United States, ASTA of the United Kingdom and VDE of Germany. In 2023, it expanded its short-circuit generator capacity to the 4,000 MVA (megavolt-ampere) class, becoming the world's sixth-largest power equipment testing laboratory.
"This is a feat in which PT&T's world-class testing capabilities have been officially proven in the Middle East as well," an LS Electric official said. "Based on our overwhelming technological capabilities recognized in the global market and a thorough localization strategy, we will seize the upper hand in the competition to win large-scale Middle East power infrastructure projects."
