Doha hosts 4th General Conference of Arab Union of Electricity and Exhibition

The event will continue till the 9th of January at Doha -Sheraton.

The 4th general conference of Arab union of electricity and exhibition is held with the presence of; Yemeni minister of energy, H.E. Saleh Saed, Saudi water and electricity minister, H.E. Abdulah bin Abdulrahman al Husein, Kuwaiti electricity and water minister, H.E. Abdulaziz Ibrahim, along with the Egyptian former energy and electricity minister, H.E. Hassan Younis, Turkish minister of energy, H.E. Taner Yildiz, Jordanian minister of energy and mineral resources, H.E. Alaa Aref Saad Al Bataynah, and the Sudanese minister of electricity and dams, H.E. Usamah Abdullah.

On this occasion, H.E. Dr. Mohammed Bin Saleh al Sada, the minister of energy and industry in the state of Qatar said: "This Arabic grand event is held under the motto: "Renewable Energy, Smart Grid: Future Solutions of Electric Power", and in the light of many challenges that have been facing the economic and social development projects in various Arabic Countries. Also, at the international level, that is still affected by the impact of the international economic crisis that has contributed at the decline of economic growth rates in most countries worldwide, and the GCC countries, which are still experiencing unprecedented growth in its business, despite being an exception as they are relatively affected by the slowdown in global economic growth. But, the sources of wealth are mainly based on the Hydrocarbon resources.

In addition, they are strenuous efforts are being made in those countries to diversify productive vitality and economic sectors. I will cite the example of; industrial projects relevant to the urban development such as iron, aluminum, petrochemicals, manufacturing and investment in food security projects, this as well as open the way for broad partnerships between public and private sectors to contribute to the establishment and management of the electricity and water and the financing of these projects, that has effectively contributed in strengthening the economic position of those countries, including Qatar, which is witnessing a remarkable economic and urban renaissance under the wise policy and wise leadership of His Highness the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani, and the Heir apparent His Highness sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani."

Addressing attendees, H.E said: "In line with the National Development Strategy 2011-2016, Qatar is committed to launch a leading Arab initiative to support alternative energy resources through vital projects based on research and advanced industry for solar cells. We will start our pilot project under the auspices of the Ministry of Energy and Industry supported by Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation " KAHRAMAA" to generate power from renewable energy. The project will make use of the vacant water and electricity infrastructure through setting up solar panels at 200 megawatts. The implementation of the project will take place over two phases; the first involving experimental projects at 5 to 10 megawatts with guarantee of 20-25 years. The commissioning tenders will be laid in the first quarter of 2013.

The second phase will depend on the results of the first phase including the possibility of engaging the private sector for investment which in turn benefits the Corporation and the sector, as projects are implemented with a production capacity of 150-200 megawatts over the next eight years in lands and stations operated by " KAHRAMAA".

H.E. called upon all the participants in this conference to look positively into investment in future renewable energy solutions and to support research and studies related to renewable and alternative energy projects. "This will help building a firm database and enhancing scientific research programs that will develop this vital sector and encourage experts to take part in this field in the Arab region"

For his part, H.E. Eng. Essa bin Hilal Al Kuwari, President of Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation "KAHRAMAA" said: "This collective Arabic event, held in an overwhelming atmospheres of acceleration and growth in terms of electric power demand and consumption in the Arab world, ongoing efforts to increase energy production, especially in the Arab Gulf States and other Arab countries to meet the needs of accelerated growth of the economic sector. In addition, there is a growing interest on searching for the alternative and renewable energy sources and the importance of its development, give priority to rationalizing programs of electricity consumption and improve the efficiency of generation, transmission and distribution, and investment in the development of renewable energy sources in the region and exploit to the fullest extent, establish rules and foundations for the adoption of all new technologies for green energy and sustainable energy in an attempt to sustain the natural resources , adopt a strategic management system for energy in bid to save energy for the future generations."

H.E. added: "KAHRAMMA" has announced lately a new initiative which is power generation from renewable energy. The concept is to use the available flat spaces in the infrastructure facilities of "KAHRAMMA" in order to produce power from solar energy reaching 200 Megawatts at different stages. All the project details and related tenders will be revealed soon."

H.E. Dr. Mohammed Bin Ibrahim At-Twaijri, Assistant Secretary General for Economic Affairs at the Arab league at Catalog conference and exhibition: '' The trend of developing renewable energy applications and improving the energy efficiency programs has also started to receive increased interest at all levels since the Economic, Development and Social Summit, which was held in Kuwait in 2009, gave emphasis to renewable energy. The program of Action released by the Summit gave a clear signal to the Arab countries and their relevant institutions regarding the need for utilizing renewable energy technologies, particularly solar energy, in the process of overall economic development. The Arab Ministerial Council of Electricity has translated that interest into detailed decisions by adopting the Arab Strategy for the Development of Renewable Energy Applications: 2010 -2030, which aims at increasing the share of renewable energy in the energy mix in the Arab countries. Preparations are now underway to submit the Arab Strategy for the Development of Renewable Energy to the next Arab Economic, Development and Social Summit (Riyadh - January 2013)."

Speaking on the occasion, 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 - Republic of Tunisia, said: "This conference is the outcome of three years of hard and relentless work, achieved in coordination among the Union's General Secretariat, Presidency and board members as well as with the rest of the members of the Union. The Council has had sessions from the beginning of 2010 until the end of 2012 and it witnessed many important steps and concrete achievements including completing Arab electricity grid maps, electricity tariffs in the Arab world and power stations manual. Several important Arab and international training courses, conferences and seminars were also held and a number of constructive recommendations were reached."

During the session, the Turkish minister of energy and natural resources, H.E. Taner Yildiz said: " Provision of uninterrupted energy supply security could be possible through establishment of sustainable, doable and long term energy policies based on effective and efficient usage of energy. We are to use all of our available potential including total use of indigenous and renewable recourses in order to be able to meet ever growing energy demand and to reduce the dependency on foreign sources. Environmentally friendly, flexible, synchronous and of low cost smart grids to which all the points along the grid are adaptive are an important element with respect to overcoming technical challenges related to the use of renewable sources."

H.E. said:" In today's environment, when energy demand has grown at these high rates, the due importance should be attached to energy efficiency. An important role falls on our part in this regard. It is necessary for all the sectors to continue working on this direction. Every step we make is not made only for the sake of today, but also for creating a foundation for sustainable future of our countries and the whole world. Within this scope, we are ready to all kinds of cooperation in the field of energy."

The 4th General Conference of Arab Union of Electricity and Exhibition, the seminar on "the Investment Opportunities in the Electrical Industries in the Arab Countries" launched with the participation of; 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.

During the conference opening ceremony, the shield of Arab union presidency was given by the engineer Fawzi Kharbat the Secretary-General of the Arab Union of Electricity to Mohamed Ridha Ben Mosbah, whom in his turn delivered it to to H.E. Eng. Essa ben Hilal Al Kuwari, President of Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation "KAHRAMAA", announcing him as the union's new president.

On the occasion of the Arab Union Silver Jubilee, H.E. Dr. Mohammed Bin Saleh al Sada, the minister of energy and industry in the state of Qatar has honored the Arab pioneers at the electricity and energy sector. Amongst those who are honored; Eng. Azam Khamees Azam, the former secretary general of the Arab Union of electricity, 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 - Republic of Tunisia.

Later, H.E. Eng. Essa ben Hilal Al Kuwari, President of Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation "KAHRAMAA", has delivered the shield of the Arab Union of electricity to H.E. Dr. Mohammed Bin Saleh al Sada, the minister of energy and industry in the state of Qatar, on behalf of H.E. Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar,

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.