Tag: MENA

HVDC interconnection to secure power transmission and support new renewable electricity generation with the country’s largest electricity transmission project

Zurich, Switzerland, July 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hitachi Energy, a global technology leader that is advancing a sustainable energy future for all, today announced it has been selected as preferred technology provider of SSEN Transmission and National Grid, to supply two high-voltage direct current (HVDC) converter stations to interconnect the Scottish and English power grids.

The energy transition requires a collaborative effort that can only be achieved with advanced technologies and new ways of working. In appointing Hitachi Energy as their preferred technology provider, SSEN Transmission and National Grid secure best-in-class technology and future production capacity in a rapidly growing market. For Hitachi Energy, this enables investment in new production capacity and to undertake large-scale recruitment drives. It also strengthens collaboration, standardization of solutions, and synergies between projects.

The integration of renewables requires solutions that make the grid resilient, stable, and flexible. Hitachi Energy’s innovation and long development of voltage sourced converter (VSC) power electronics and control and protection (MACH) technologies meet the requirements alongside many other landmark grid integration projects.

Eastern Green Link 2 will consist of two 525-kilovolt (kV) bipole VSC converter stations connected by 440 kilometers of subsea cable and 70 kilometers of underground cable, making it the longest HVDC link in the UK. The link will efficiently supply a total of 2,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity, which is enough to power around two million UK homes.¹

The link will help to secure power transmission in the northern UK and support the integration of new renewable electricity generation in Scotland, as part of the UK’s Net Zero Strategy.² As much as 11,000 MW of offshore wind capacity is possible in Scottish waters by 2030³, and HVDC transmission will play a large part in bringing this vast amount of renewable power to shore and south, to communities across the country.

“The UK’s Net Zero Strategy has ambitious targets which will require vast amounts of new renewable generation. Electricity will be the backbone of the entire energy system,” said Niklas Persson, Managing Director at Hitachi Energy’s Grid Integration business. “Our pioneering HVDC technology will ensure that this electricity will reliably and efficiently get where it’s needed most.”

“This is another important milestone for EGL2 which is part of the new network infrastructure required to help the UK meet its net zero and energy security ambitions,” said Sarah Sale, Deputy Project Director of National Grid. “Along with cabling bidder and formal joint venture announcements, this is another key part of the project which is now in place and ready for the delivery phase. We look forward to working in collaboration with Hitachi Energy and BAM as the project continues to progress.”

“The converter stations at either end of the cable will play a crucial role in making the power transported subsea suitable for transportation around the onshore transmission network – getting Hitachi Energy and BAM in place to deliver that technology is great for the project,” said Ricky Saez, the EGL2 Project Director from SSEN Transmission.

“BAM is delighted to work in collaboration with Hitachi Energy on this vital renewable energy project for National Grid and SSEN Transmission,” said Huw Jones, Executive Director of BAM Nuttall. “The converter stations will enable the transmission of green energy from areas of offshore wind generation to centers of population, supporting the UK’s net zero ambitions and providing better energy security. We look forward to engaging with local communities and suppliers in Aberdeenshire and North Yorkshire, supporting BAM’s vision to deliver sustainable infrastructure for our clients, stakeholders, and the communities in which we work.”

Hitachi Energy is collaborating with BAM, a construction company that designs, builds, and maintains sustainable buildings and infrastructure, to provide the civil and installation scope for the project. The collaboration with BAM will leverage the core competencies of the two companies to deliver a best-in-class solution for the project.

Hitachi Energy pioneered commercial HVDC technology almost 70 years ago and has delivered more than half of the world’s HVDC projects.

1 https://www.nationalgrid.com/electricity-transmission/network-and-infrastructure/segl2
2 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/net-zero-strategy
3 https://www.gov.scot/publications/offshore-wind-policy-statement/
4 Modular Advanced Control for HVDC (MACH)

HVDC website:

https://www.hitachienergy.com/offering/product-and-system/hvdc

Photo captions:

North Sea Link Blyth Converter Station UK

Eastern Green Link 2

About Hitachi Energy
Hitachi Energy is a global technology leader that is advancing a sustainable energy future for all. We serve customers in the utility, industry and infrastructure sectors with innovative solutions and services across the value chain. Together with customers and partners, we pioneer technologies and enable the digital transformation required to accelerate the energy transition towards a carbon-neutral future. We are advancing the world’s energy system to become more sustainable, flexible and secure whilst balancing social, environmental and economic value. Hitachi Energy has a proven track record and unparalleled installed base in more than 140 countries. Headquartered in Switzerland, we employ around 40,000 people in 90 countries and generate business volumes of over $10 billion USD.
https://www.hitachienergy.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/hitachienergy
https://twitter.com/HitachiEnergy

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi drives Social Innovation Business, creating a sustainable society through the use of data and technology. We solve customers’ and society’s challenges with Lumada solutions leveraging IT, OT (Operational Technology) and products. Hitachi operates under the business structure of “Digital Systems & Services” – supporting our customers’ digital transformation; “Green Energy & Mobility” – contributing to a decarbonized society through energy and railway systems, and “Connective Industries” – connecting products through digital technology to provide solutions in various industries. Driven by Digital, Green, and Innovation, we aim for growth through co-creation with our customers. The company’s consolidated revenues for fiscal year 2022 (ended March 31, 2023) totaled 10,881.1 billion yen, with 696 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately 320,000 employees worldwide. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company’s website at https://www.hitachi.com.

Attachments

• Hitachi Energy selected as preferred technology provider for the longest HVDC link in the UK
• Hitachi Energy selected as preferred technology provider for the longest HVDC link in the UK

Jocelyn Chang
Hitachi Energy
jocelyn.chang@hitachienergy.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8881044

Curia collaborates with Touchlight to expand its mRNA manufacturing offering to enable access to enzymatic doggybone DNA (dbDNA)

ALBANY, N.Y. and HAMPTON, United Kingdom, July 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Curia, a leading contract research, development and manufacturing organization, and Touchlight, a company pioneering enzymatic DNA production, today announced an agreement which will provide Curia and its clients a streamlined means of access to Touchlight’s doggybone DNA (dbDNA). The arrangement expands Curia’s mRNA manufacturing offerings with an additional differentiated source of DNA raw material that is immediately available to be accessed by Curia customers. Under the arrangement, Touchlight will directly manufacture dbDNA on behalf of Curia’s customers.

“Curia remains committed to strengthening our biologics offerings and end-to-end mRNA manufacturing capabilities,” said Christopher Conway, President of R&D, Curia. “With the addition of enzymatic DNA through our partnership with Touchlight, our customers will have a critical advantage in terms of scalability and speed to market.”

Touchlight’s dbDNA is a linear, double-stranded, covalently-closed DNA vector. DNA serves as the template for making mRNA therapies. Through a simple enzymatic process called in vitro transcription, genetic information is copied from DNA to mRNA. This mRNA is then able to teach the cells to make precise proteins that are used to treat or prevent diseases. Touchlight’s enzymatic DNA is produced with a cell-free enzymatic process that offers unmatched benefits in speed, quality and capacity when compared to traditional plasmid DNA production.

Karen Fallen, CEO, Touchlight commented: “We are delighted to work with Curia in order to further expand access to dbDNA as a critical starting material. Working in parallel with fellow CDMOs is a key component of our focus upon enabling broad market access to dbDNA. Curia is building a comprehensive mRNA solution, and this arrangement enables both companies to extend their offering to a wider audience.”

Touchlight’s dbDNA is a novel solution that is widely applicable and versatile, advancing Curia’s mRNA manufacturing capabilities as a complement to its bioprocessing-grade plasmid offering.

About Curia

Curia is a leading contract research, development, and manufacturing organization providing products and services from R&D through commercial manufacturing to pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical customers. Curia’s nearly 4,000 employees at 29 locations across the U.S., Europe, and Asia help its customers advance from curiosity to cure. Learn more at CuriaGlobal.com.

About Touchlight

Touchlight is a privately-owned CDMO based in London, U.K., focused on providing DNA services and manufacturing enzymatically produced doggybone DNA (dbDNA) to enable the development of genetic medicines. Touchlight provides rapid, enzymatic DNA development and manufacturing for all advanced therapy production, including mRNA, viral and non-viral gene therapy, and DNA API. dbDNA is a minimal, linear, covalently closed structure, which eliminates bacterial sequences. Touchlight’s revolutionary enzymatic production platform enables unprecedented speed, scale, and the ability to target genes with a size and complexity that is impossible with current technologies. Clients can be supported from pre-clinical through development and supply to licensing and tech transfer for use in-house.

Curia Contact Information:
Viana Bhagan
+1 518 512 2111
corporatecommunications@CuriaGlobal.com

Touchlight contact information:

Karen Fallen, Chief Executive Officer
Robin Bodicoat, Head of Marketing
E: info@touchlight.com
T: +44 20 8481 9200

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8879177

London, UK, July 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — OPEN Health, a global provider of consultancy, HEOR and market access, and scientific communications services, today announced a new team of experts will lead its HEOR & Market Access Scientific Office. This expert team will be led by Dr. Elisabeth Fenwick as Chief Scientific Officer with support from Professor Ben van Hout as Scientific Founder.

Both Elisabeth and Ben joined OPEN Health through its acquisition of Pharmerit International. Elisabeth Fenwick is most widely known for working on the cost-effectiveness acceptability curve (CEAC), creating the cost-effectiveness acceptability frontier, and for her work in value of information analyses for research decisions. She has over 20 years of experience in the industry and has published more than 50 publications globally. Ben van Hout is most commonly known for being one of the co-founders of the EQ-5D (a standardized measure of health-related quality of life) and as the developer of the CEAC. He was also one of the first researchers to perform a discrete event simulation and is published in the New England Journal of Medicine. He has over 35 years of experience in the industry and was honored with the ISPOR Avedis Donabedian Outcomes Research Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.

“The purpose of the Scientific Office is to ensure that science is at the center of everything we do. Our scientific experts are here to support the HEOR and market access team with their amazing research developing innovative solutions.” Elisabeth commented.

The Scientific Office is made up of experts who bring unique skillsets from across OPEN Health’s HEOR & market access service areas. The appointed team consists of Maarten Treur, MSc, Vice President and Global Head of Modeling & Meta-Analysis; Dr. Viktor Chirikov, Director of Real‑World Evidence & Data Analytics; Dr. Marco Boeri, Director of Preference Research in Patient-Centered Outcomes; and Emanuele Arcà, MSc, Senior Research Consultant in Strategic Market Access. Craig Bennison, MSc, Executive Director and Global Innovation Lead for OPEN Health HEOR & Market Access, will also join the team and will focus specifically on innovation.

“Over the last few years, the scientific contributions and leadership of these experts have played instrumental roles in shaping our reputation and research efforts, working in partnership with our clients to improve health outcomes and patient wellbeing,” said Richard Jones, President of OPEN Health Evidence & Access. “This team will ensure our scientific expertise, thought leadership, and innovation stay front and center of our HEOR and market access offering.”

To learn more about the team of experts in the Scientific Office, please explore this interactive publication.

About OPEN Health

OPEN Health unites deep scientific knowledge with wide-ranging specialist expertise to unlock possibilities that improve health outcomes and patient wellbeing. Working in partnership with our clients, we embrace our different perspectives and strengths to deliver fresh thinking and solutions that make a difference. OPEN Health is a flexible global organization that solves complex healthcare challenges across HEOR and market access, medical communications and creative omnichannel campaigns. For more information on OPEN Health, visit www.openhealthgroup.com.

Candice Subero
OPEN Health
candicesubero@openhealthgroup.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8878752

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Media Contact:
Fiona Habben
Senior Marketing Manager – Global
Fiona.habben@ai-media.tv
+61 411 727 592

Quantexa’s Decision Intelligence Platform and Financial Crime solutions credited for driving efficiencies through automation and enriching graph analytics and network analysis

LONDON and NEW YORK, July 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today Quantexa, a global leader in Decision Intelligence (DI) solutions for the public and private sectors, announced that it has been recognized by Celent, a global research and advisory firm providing technology expertise to key decision makers at financial institutions, for its standout technology in the 2023 xCelent Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Transaction Monitoring (TM) Report, an independent resource helping financial institutions select an AML vendor best suited to meet their needs. Celent’s report profiled 17 AML TM systems available globally, including an overview of their functionality, customer base, technology, implementation, pricing, and support, to help key financial institutions navigate the market.

Celent credited Quantexa for “pioneering the use of entity resolution […] to power granular, deep network analysis to support the forensic investigation of financial crimes.” Key benefits highlighted include the platform’s ability to “resolve internal transaction and customer data as well as external data […] pertaining to entities, transactions and other activities, and counterparties to generate highly enriched network analyses of associated accounts that can surface risk insights,” and “to automate much of the investigative process, thereby increasing analyst efficiency.”

Customers rated Quantexa’s Decision Intelligence Platform and AML solutions strongly overall, with the speed of implementation and the flexibility of the data model receiving the highest scores for implementation experience and technology respectively. They also appreciated the platform’s graph analytics and network/link analysis capabilities. Respondents noted the Quantexa team’s knowledge of their solution and relevant technology. One client cited “a strong level of service and responsiveness compared to other vendor experiences.”

Quantexa’s Chief Product Officer, Dan Higgins, said: “Being recognized as a best-in-class provider for AML solutions by Celent is a true testament to the innovation and value we deliver to our clients. We continually strive to bring best-in-class solutions to our clients, helping them turn information into insight and insight into the ability to protect, optimize, and grow their organizations. Having Celent recognize our solution for the depth of impact it delivers, as well as our teams’ breadth of knowledge, which is helping to aid in the forensic investigations of financial crime, is inspiring and rewarding.”

Quantexa’s platform gives leading banks, fintechs and regulators the ability to understand their data by connecting siloed systems to protect, optimize and grow. By protecting and fighting against financial crime, Quantexa clients can become more resilient, visualize hidden risks at speed, and make more informed and trusted decisions about AML risk.

To download the Celent report which profiles Quantexa’s Decision Intelligence solution for AML Transaction Monitoring, visit Quantexa’s website here.

About Quantexa
Quantexa is a global data and analytics software company pioneering Decision Intelligence that empowers organizations to make trusted operational decisions by making data meaningful. Using the latest advancements in big data and AI, Quantexa’s Decision Intelligence platform uncovers hidden risk and new opportunities by providing a contextual, connected view of internal and external data in a single place. It solves major challenges across data management, KYC, customer intelligence, financial crime, risk, fraud, and security, throughout the customer lifecycle.

The Quantexa Decision Intelligence Platform enhances operational performance with over 90% more accuracy and 60 times faster analytical model resolution than traditional approaches. Founded in 2016, Quantexa now has more than 650 employees and thousands of users working with billions of transactions and data points across the world. The company has offices in London, Dublin, New York, Boston, Washington DC, Toronto, UAE, Malaga, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Brussels, Melbourne, Sydney and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.quantexa.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Media Enquiries
C: Stephanie Crisp, Associate Director and Media Strategist, Fight or Flight
E: Quantexa@fightflight.com

C: Adam Jaffe, SVP of Corporate Marketing
T: +1 609 502 6889
E: adamjaffe@quantexa.com
– or –
RapidResponse@quantexa.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1000830542

Basseterre, July 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — St Kitts and Nevis has yet again strengthened the administration of its Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme, announcing that all main applicants are to partake in a mandatory interview as part of the application process to its investment migration programme.

The twin-island Federation becomes one of the first Caribbean nations to introduce the soon-to-be industry standard. Instituted by regulations published on July 19, 2023, the new policy applies to all applications, including those already received but not yet approved by the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU). The new regulations also provide that dependants may be asked to be interviewed.

This new step in St Kitts and Nevis’ CBI application process confirms that St Kitts and Nevis has now fully implemented the six principles agreed between the United States of America and governments of the five Caribbean nations with Citizenship by Investment Programmes in a roundtable meeting held on February 25, 2023. That meeting was convened to discuss and agree on common ways to deal with threats to international communities in the investment migration ecosystem.

The five Caribbean participating governments are Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis and Saint Lucia. Their Prime Ministers and other senior state officials met with a USA delegation led by Anna Morris, Deputy Assistant Secretary at the USA Department of Treasury.

The group collectively committed to six CBI principles proposed by the USA, several of which were already adopted by the five Caribbean participating governments of their own volition as part of their risk management framework to strengthen and safeguard the integrity of their CBI programmes.

The six principles agreed were:

1. Treatment of denials: Not to process applications from persons whose applications have been denied in another CBI jurisdiction, by proactively sharing information on denials.
2. Interviews: Conduct interviews with applicants, whether virtual or in-person.
3. Additional checks: Each jurisdiction will run checks on each application with the Financial Intelligence Unit of its respective country.
4. Audits: Audit the Programme annually or every two years in accordance with internationally accepted standards.
5. Retrieval of passports: Request law enforcement assistance to retrieve revoked/recalled passports.
6. Treatment of Russians and Belarusians: Suspend processing applications from Russians and Belarusians.

A delegation from St Kitts and Nevis, headed by the country’s Prime Minister, Terrance Drew, also attended this year’s annual European Union-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States Summit (EU-CELAC) Summit in Brussels.

During the Summit, St Kitts and Nevis, along with the other Caribbean CBI islands, met with the European Commission and agreed to establish a joint task group to engage the stakeholders and keep both regions abreast of ongoing developments and find a common ground to work from.

“We are very happy about how the meeting went in Brussels. There is definitely a spirit of cooperation between ourselves and the European Commission, and we will continue to make our efforts in mitigating international security risk very clear so all our international partners are confident of the integrity of our programme,” noted Prime Minister Drew.

The third edition of EU-CELAC was held from July 17 to July 18, 2023, and aims to discuss key matters of interest that impact the Caribbean and the European Union and effective resolutions.

From July 19, 2023, main applicants, 16 years and older, for St Kitts and Nevis’ CBI programme will be required to be interviewed – virtually or in person – as part of the application process.

Head of St Kitts and Nevis’ Citizenship by Investment Unit, Michael Martin, commented that “St Kitts and Nevis remains committed to cooperating with our international stakeholders and takes the safety and integrity of our Citizenship by Investment Programme extremely seriously.”

Due diligence and risk mitigation remain a very important aspect of how St Kitts and Nevis approaches its CBI programme.

The country has one of the best regulated programmes in the world. St Kitts and Nevis is the only country with a CBI Board of Governors responsible for providing general oversight of the operations their CBI Unit; developing and implementing policies and procedures; ensuring that application processing is completed within the timeframes advertised without compromising the integrity of the programme; and constantly monitoring the global investor immigration industry to ensure that the country’s CBI Regulations align with international market forces.

The country is the also the only one with a CBI Technical Committee charged with ensuring all due diligence background checks are comprehensive in keeping with the country’s multi-sectoral good governance transformation into a sustainable island-state.

Caribbean CBI nations remain at the pinnacle of due diligence excellence and St Kitts and Nevis continues as a trailblazer for many CBI nations across the world.

The due diligence for the St Kitts and Nevis CBI Programme is conducted by highly respected international due diligence agencies from the USA, Canada and the United Kingdom, and vetted by the CBI Unit, Financial Intelligence Unit and international policing authorities. These agencies work together to facilitate a multi-layer due diligence investigation online and on-the-ground.

St Kitts and Nevis boasts the oldest CBI programme in the Caribbean, established in 1984, and continues to be a firm favourite among international investors across the world.

Secretary of St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment
Government of St. Kitts and Nevis
001 (868) 467 1474
info@sknciu.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8877083