Nemko News in Brief June 2024

Dear Reader 

There is a paradox of electricity regarding effects on our environment and the climate, i.e. on one side, harmful emissions by use of fossil fuels to generate the electric power, and on the other side, the key role of electricity for “the green shift”.
Today, about 60% of global electricity generation is from fossil fuels (coal, petroleum and gas), about 30% from renewable energy sources and about 10% from nuclear energy.

As the overall demand for electricity keeps increasing, the growth of renewable energy can only stop or reduce the growth in use of fossil fuel energy, and not replace much.
Like fossil fuels, nuclear fuels are non-renewable, but do not produce greenhouse gases as CO2.
As indicated in the fourth article below, despite the challenge with handling the risk of radioactivity, it is now growing focus on whether/how nuclear energy can be a solution to overcome the global electricity demand.

Trond Sollie

Editor - News in Brief

Expansion of the G-mark scheme in the Arabic Gulf region

In the Arabic Gulf region, the 7 member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Yemen. They have since 2015 had common regulations for amongst other electrical equipment, managed by the Gulf Standards Organization (GSO). The regulations are based largely on relevant European Directives regarding requirements for safety and electromagnetic compatibility. 

Saudi Arabia will require unified charging ports for portable electronics 

In Saudi Arabia, the authorities, represented by SASO, have announced the decision to standardize charging ports for portable electronic devices sold within their country.
The decision will take place in two phases. The first phase will begin on 1 January 2025 and includes devices with totally 18 HS Codes, covering mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, e-readers, portable video game devices, headphones, earphones, amplifiers, keyboards and computer pointer devices, in addition to portable navigation systems, portable speakers and wireless routers. The second phase shall start 1 April 2026 and will include laptops.

Updated procedure for telecom equipment in Egypt

In order to align with the evolving telecom equipment technologies and market needs, the Egyptian National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) has recently updated its Type Approval Procedure. In this process, new documents related to the product manufacturer (as the Brand Owner) have been added to the list of
requirements.

Nuclear energy as climate savior?

Electrical energy demand is expected to rise exponentially as nations pursue
sustainability agendas, relying on all things electric, including electric vehicles (EVs). However, EVs can only be considered totally green if their power comes from renewable and clean energy sources.

Despite a 50% increase in renewable capacity last year, this is insufficient to meet the appropriate targets by 2030. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) states that annual growth in renewable capacity would have to be more than double of the record set in 2023.

Changes to the meaning of N-mark certification

In Norway, radio interference caused by electrical equipment was early determined to be a phenomenon needing control, with respect to public broadcasting as well as telecommunication. 

At the time when Nemko approval of electrical equipment was mandatory in Norway, compliance with the radio interference regulations was included in the requirements and hence in Nemko’s N-mark. This was not the case in the other Nordic countries or elsewhere in Europe. 

Featured Events

5-9 August: 2024 IEEE International Symposium on EMC, signal & power integrity in Phoenix, Arizona, USA
For information and registration, please click here.

10-11 September: Nemko Canada Customer Seminar in Cambridge (Toronto)

For information and registration, please click here.

18-19 September: Nemko USA Annual Customer Seminar in San Diego, California

For information and registration, please click here.

8 October: Nemko Italy Customer Seminar in Monza (Milano)

For information and registration, please click here.

14-15 October: Nemko Scandinavia Annual Customer Seminar in Oslo, Norway

For information and saving of date, please click here

GSO courses in the Arabic Gulf Region

Information about themes, places and times may be seen here.

Receive invitations to Nemko webinars on current compliance matters
The webinars will be conducted in English, and one will be able to access the recordings afterwards, for own use and sharing with others please register here.

Hopefully, you are finding these topics to be of interest.

Best regards

T. Sollie

Editor

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