KEMA Laboratories

KEMA Laboratories
Name	KEMA Laboratories
Type	Testing and certification laboratory
Founded	1927
Headquarters	Arnhem, Netherlands
Industry	Electrical power, energy, utilities, renewable energy
Products	Testing, certification, inspection, consulting

KEMA Laboratories is an international testing, inspection, and certification laboratory specializing in electrical power systems, high-voltage equipment, and energy infrastructure. Founded in the Netherlands in the early 20th century, the organization evolved into a global laboratory network serving utilities, manufacturers, and regulators across Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East. Its activities intersect with major energy companies, academic institutions, standardization bodies, and governmental agencies.

History

KEMA Laboratories originated in 1927 as a research institute focused on Royal Dutch Shell era industrial electrification and post-World War I reconstruction projects in the Netherlands and the Benelux. During the interwar and postwar decades it collaborated with firms such as Siemens, General Electric, Westinghouse Electric Corporation, and Alstom to validate transformers, switchgear, and transmission lines. In the Cold War period it provided testing services for projects connected to Nordic electricity grids, cross-border interconnectors, and NATO-related infrastructure. The energy crises of the 1970s prompted KEMA to expand into insulation research alongside clients like ABB and Mitsubishi Electric. In the 1990s and 2000s privatization and liberalization of European utilities — involving actors such as Royal Dutch Shell spin-offs, EDF, E.ON, RWE, and Enel — led to alliances with certification bodies including Underwriters Laboratories, TÜV Rheinland, and SGS. Mergers and acquisitions throughout the 21st century involved multinational engineering groups and investment firms from United States, Germany, and Japan, mirroring consolidation seen with Aon, Marsh & McLennan Companies, and large industrial conglomerates. KEMA’s legacy influenced standards discussions at organizations like International Electrotechnical Commission and CENELEC.

Services and Testing Capabilities

KEMA Laboratories offers high-voltage testing, type-testing, routine testing, diagnostic services, and certification for equipment used by National Grid (UK), PJM Interconnection, California Independent System Operator, and other transmission operators. Its environmental testing and seismic qualification services support projects for Siemens Gamesa, Vestas, GE Renewable Energy, and Nordex. The lab provides failure analysis and forensic investigations for insurers such as Lloyd's of London and litigation support involving law firms and courts in London, New York, Frankfurt am Main, and Tokyo. It conducts performance testing for battery systems used by companies like TESLA, Inc., Panasonic Corporation, LG Chem, and Samsung SDI and interoperability testing for smart grid projects with partners including Schneider Electric, Honeywell International, Cisco Systems, and IBM. Additional services include asset management consulting for utilities like Iberdrola, Statnett, Hydro-Québec, and Centrica.

Facilities and Laboratories

The principal high-voltage laboratories included large transformer test bays, short-circuit test facilities, and a high-power laboratory used by manufacturers such as Hitachi Energy and Toshiba Corporation. Other facilities supported electromagnetic compatibility trials for telecommunications firms like Ericsson, Nokia, and Huawei Technologies. Climatic chambers and environmental test rooms hosted projects for aerospace and defense contractors such as Airbus, Boeing, and BAE Systems. The laboratories incorporated specialized equipment from suppliers like Megger and Doble Engineering Company and were co-located near research clusters in Arnhem, proximate to universities such as Delft University of Technology and Eindhoven University of Technology.

Standards, Certifications, and Accreditation

KEMA Laboratories performed conformity assessment against standards published by the International Electrotechnical Commission, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization, and national bodies including NEN and ANSI. It granted certificates recognized by market regulators and utilities and collaborated with certification schemes similar to those of Underwriters Laboratories, TÜV SÜD, and CSA Group. The laboratory maintained accreditations from national accreditation bodies analogous to RVA and worked with accreditation networks such as European co-operation for Accreditation. Its test reports influenced compliance with directives like those enacted by the European Commission on energy and safety.

Major Projects and Notable Clients

KEMA Laboratories tested equipment for major grid interconnectors and large-scale renewables projects commissioned by firms including Siemens Energy, Vattenfall, Ørsted, E.ON, Enel Green Power, Shell plc energy divisions, and TotalEnergies. It provided pre-commissioning and acceptance testing for HVDC converter stations used in projects like those undertaken by ABB and Hitachi Energy and supported submarine cable testing for consortia involving Nexans and Prysmian Group. Utilities such as National Grid (UK), RTE (Réseau de Transport d'Électricité), TenneT, and Terna (company) used its expertise for transformer life-extension programs. Notable forensic investigations involved failures associated with assets owned by Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Con Edison, and Tokyo Electric Power Company. Research partnerships included collaborations with European Space Agency, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Fraunhofer Society, and CEA (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission).

Research and Innovation

KEMA Laboratories engaged in research projects on power-system resilience, insulation aging, partial discharge detection, and grid integration of variable renewables with academic partners like Imperial College London, ETH Zurich, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and TU Delft. It participated in EU-funded initiatives such as Horizon 2020 consortia and collaborated with technology incubators connected to Silicon Valley stakeholders and venture capital firms similar to Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz for commercialization of diagnostics and monitoring tools. Publications and technical contributions appeared in venues including IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, Electric Power Systems Research, and conference forums such as CIGRÉ and IEEE PES General Meeting.

Ownership and Corporate Structure

Over its history the laboratory experienced changes in ownership involving industrial groups, private equity investors, and multinational certification companies with corporate interactions comparable to mergers involving Bureau Veritas, SGS, and Intertek Group plc. Its management structure featured executive leadership reporting to boards composed of experienced directors drawn from Siemens, General Electric, ABB, and major utilities like EDF. Regional operations aligned with market actors in North America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and were subject to regulatory frameworks in jurisdictions including Netherlands, United States, Germany, France, and Japan.

Category:Electrical testing laboratories