'Qatar is the ideal location for the region's first energy business centre,' confirms CEO of Energy City Qatar to delegates at the Qatar Economic Forum

He was addressing a panel entitled 'Investment in Qatar' at the Qatar Economic Forum held in Doha on April 17 and 18, organised by Al-Iktissad Wal-Aamal, under the patronage of the Emir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

Mr. Moore also cited a number of other reasons why Qatar was chosen as the location for the Middle East's first-ever business energy centre. "A very large number of energy sector projects have already been approved and are under way in Qatar," he said. "The success of RasGas, QatarGas and Ras Laffan underline the far-sighted policy of the Government to attract investment and participation by international stakeholders and partners.

"Qatar is developing a vertically integrated energy industry and creating world class industry giants such as Qatar Petroleum, as well as pursuing horizontal integration through developing synergies and complementarities. In addition, new small and medium sized private sector projects are being encouraged to take advantage of downstream opportunities," he pointed out.

Mr. Moore also cited Qatar's booming economy - one of the fastest-growing in the world - and the Government's large scale investments in social and infrastructural development.

"Energy City Qatar has a significant role to play in this scenario, in accelerating the flow of more private sector and foreign investments into Qatar,"

said Mr. Moore. "Conceived with the aim of attracting global players in the entire hydrocarbon value chain, it will support the strategic diversification of the oil and gas sector in Qatar and generate new revenue streams for the economy from the energy sector."

Launched recently in Doha, Qatar, Energy City Qatar aims to bring knowledge-intensive industries in the energy sector under one canopy and to drive growth from above ground resources in the hydrocarbon industry. It will cater to the commercial, technical and human resource needs of the oil and gas industry operating in the region, with cutting-edge facilities and services.

Energy City Qatar will also be home to the region's first dedicated energy trading platform, the International Mercantile Exchange (IMEX), which will be regulated by the Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority.

Mr. Moore pointed out that Energy City Qatar will be built on solid global and regional partnerships. "Our recently-signed agreement with Microsoft forms part of our ongoing efforts to bring in global players from various economic sectors into Qatar. Microsoft will develop a world class technology infrastructure for Energy City Qatar, and will jointly develop IT solutions jointly for the energy sector. This is another first-of-its-kind development in the region," he said.

The strategic advisors of the project are PFC Energy, while Gulf Finance House is the lead financial advisor. Mr. Esam Yousif Janahi is the Chairman of Gulf Energy and Energy City Qatar. Energy City Qatar also recently announced the appointment of its International Advisory Board, comprising eminent experts from the business world, particularly from the energy and energy-related sectors.

The board includes Mr. Henri Philippe Reichstul from Brazil, Mr. Simon Tay from Singapore, Mr. Bernard De Combret from France, Mr. Harald Norvik from Norway and Mr. Richard H. Matzke from USA.