Doha gears up to host participants at 4th General Conference of Arab Union of Electricity

The conference, the seminar and the exhibition coincide with the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Arab Union of Electricity.

Accordingly, the Arab Ministerial Electricity Council has decided to hold the periodic meeting of its Executive Office during the same period in Doha, such that Arab electricity ministers will have the chance to attend all the above events as well as take part in the Silver Jubilee celebration of the Arab Union of Electricity.

On this occasion, H.E. Eng. Essa ben Al Kuwari, President of Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (KAHRAMAA), and the conference president, said, "We are pleased for the participation of the high profile Arabic officials at the electricity and energy sector from the Arab countries. They are most welcomed to attend this collective Arabic event, hosted in Doha during the period from the 7th to 9th of January 2013. We are looking forward to make it a collective event at all levels in which the issues of strengthening cooperation among all electricity and energy entities in the Arab world, will be discussed."

H.E added, "The holding of this high profile Arabic event in Qatar comes at a time of growing interest in the Arab countries in developing and upgrading the electricity sector through the application of latest technologies in electric power production, transportation and distribution; the adoption of policies and strategies relating to alternative and renewable energy, and improving the strategic management of electricity sectors in the region through advanced smart grids programmes and systems."

The conference, the seminar and the accompanying exhibition are expected to attract wide attendance from the public and private sectors in the Arab world and other countries led by Arab electricity ministers, who have confirmed their attendance, and including leading global manufacturers of electrical solutions and smart grids, experts and researchers in the electricity sector, renewable energy and smart grids, and other parties involved and interested in the above areas.

Keynote speakers at the conference will include H.E. Dr. Mohamed ben Saleh Al Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry of Qatar, H.E. Eng. Essa ben Hilal Al Kuwari, President of Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (KAHRAMAA); H.E. Dr. Mohammed Bin Ibrahim At-Twaijri, Assistant Secretary General for Economic Affairs at the League of Arab States; H.E. Dr. Hassan Younes, Former Minister of Electricity and Energy in the Arab republic of Egypt; H.E. Eng. Mohamed Ridha Ben Mosbah, President and CEO of STEG (Tunisian Company of Electricity and Gas) and President of Arab Union of Electricity, H.E. Engineer Sheikh Nawaf Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, CEO of the Electricity and Water Authority in the Kingdom of Bahrain; H.E. Dr. Saleh Bin Hussein Al Awaji, Deputy Minister for Electricity at the Ministry of Water and Electricity of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; H.E. Mr. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA); Engineer Fahad Hamad Al-Mohannadi, General Manager of Qatar Electricity and Water Company (QEWC); H.E. Dr. Hisham Khatib, Hon. Vice Chairman at the World Energy Council of Jordan, Global Energy award Laureate; Professor Dr. Abdelmajid Mahjoub , Director General of the Arab Atomic Energy Agency (AAEA), Republic of Tunisia; Engineer Ali Al Barrak, CEO and President of Saudi Electricity Company (SEC); Engineer Gaber Desouki, Chairman of the Egyptian Electricity Holding Company in the Arab Republic of Egypt, and Dr. Eng. Ahmed Ali Al-Ebrahim, COO of GCCIA in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

In light of the above, the organizers of the conference, the seminar and the exhibition has chosen the motto ,Renewable Energy and Smart Grids Future Solutions for Electric Power, to provide the framework for a discussion of medium and long term national strategies to develop the structure of the Arab electricity sector, improving management and control of electric power networks and the use smart grid applications for remote control of networks, promoting steps to expand the common Arab electricity grid in order to enhance the efficiency and load of country networks, finding practical solutions for expanding the use of alternative and renewable energy sources, expanding and promoting scientific research and training in electricity, and the importance of renewable energy for the environment, and human, social and economic development.

Among the main topics on the conference agenda are:
1- Restructuring the electricity sector in the Arab countries.
2- Investment opportunities in the electricity sector through IPP projects.
3- Smart grids, distribution network maintenance, demand side management, and energy conservation.
4- Loss reduction in electrical systems (generation, transmission and distribution).
5- Renewable energy sources and how to connect them to the public grid.
6- Quality and services management in electricity distribution: Customer satisfaction, customer information systems and performance indicators.
7- Nuclear power for electricity generation in the Arab countries: Potential and projects.
8- Training to build new manpower in electricity sector.

And as an indicator of its importance and relevance, the conference has attracted sponsorships from leading industrial, services and media companies and institutions operating in Qatar, the Gulf and Arab world, and at the international level.

These include KEMCO as Local Strategic Partner, ElSewedy Electric as Regional Strategic Partner, Qatar Electricity and Water Company (QEWC) as National Host Company, Qatar Petroleum as Energy Partner, Hyosung as Diamond Sponsor, ETA Star International as Platinum Sponsor, National Contracting Company (NCC), ALSTOM and Larsen & Toubro as Gold Sponsors, Gulf Lights Electrical Engineering and Al Ajjaj Limited Company (AALCO) and Siemens WLL as Silver Sponsors, and UNICON Limited, Qatar Power Construction, Electrical & Mechanical Contracting Company (NEMCCO), PS Tech, ITCC, Energoprojekt-Entel, Integrated Trading and Services, Habtoor-Leighton, Mirrikh Contracting, QIECO, ABB and Schneider as Bronze Sponsors.

Media Partners include: Euroasia Industry Magazine, Oxford Business Group; Qatar Construction Sites, Alternative Energy Africa; Qatar Business Review, Qatar Today, Power and Water Middle East, Al-Arab Newspaper, and Qatar Radio. Lastly, Qatar University and Texas A & M are education partners.