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This is the first visit by a British Prime Minister to the UAE since December 2006, and the first time a Prime Minister has attended ADIPEC. Gordon Brown addressed ADIPEC's Executive Plenary Session on "Working together to deliver sustainable growth: innovative teams and technology deployment", and was joined by BP Group Chief Executive Tony Hayward, along with Malcolm Brinded, Executive Director, Exploration and Production, Shell, and Andrew Gould, Chairman, Schlumberger.
The Prime Minister paid special tribute to His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi and His Highness Lieutenant General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, President of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, for their vision in building one of the most remarkable and respected sustainable energy investment companies in the world. He also spoke about Britain's close ties with Abu Dhabi, and the long association between oil companies from the two countries.
The Prime Minister said,
"This (ADIPEC) conference comes at a defining moment for the global economy. The decisions we take over the coming weeks and months will shape our world for a generation. I'm delighted that Shell and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) have today signed a memorandum of understanding to evaluate potential joint exploration, development and production of offshore deep gas field prospects in Abu Dhabi. And today we will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Abu Dhabi future energy company Masdar, to work in partnership to develop and deploy low carbon technologies."
The Prime Minister concluded saying, "Let us maintain the political courage to continue and deepen the dialogue we have begun here in the gulf to stabilize global oil markets and together build the foundations for a low carbon recovery. And let us make this a time of visionary internationalism, together building the global solutions on which the sustainability of our global economy depends."
Organised by dmg world media, ADIPEC is now established as one of the leading oil and gas exhibitions and conferences in the world, and is seeing record numbers of exhibitors and delegates this year. It provides a forum for companies to make business deals, meet new contacts and showcase their latest technologies and services. Over 150 British companies are exhibiting this year at ADIPEC, and there is a dedicated British National Pavilion. The fact that Gordon Brown and his Ministers attended reinforces the growing importance of the event and how valuable it is to countries operating in the oil and gas industry, as well as placing Abu Dhabi as a leading hub for the global energy industry.
ADIPEC 2008 has broken all previous records, bringing together 1,500 exhibitors and an expected 40,000 visitors. This year's event takes up the whole space of the newly opened Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) with over 55,000sqm of exhibiting space indoors, 18,000sqm concourse area as well as outdoor space, dedicated conferencing space.
Husam Odiabat
