The EIC attracts world-class speaker line-up to its Middle East EIC Connect Oil, Gas and Power 2013 event

Many of the Middle East's leading oil, gas and power companies will gather in Abu Dhabi on 4 June for the most significant energy supply chain event of the year - EIC Connect Oil, Gas and Power 2013. As the region's energy sector continues to thrive in the face of unprecedented demand, the event provides an unrivalled platform for UK companies to engage with the most influential figures from the industry.

Speakers from major companies, who operate at the frontline of the oil, gas and power industry in the Middle East, will lead an expert programme of supply chain briefings and conference sessions that promise to offer invaluable insight to the opportunities emerging from the region's energy industry today.

Data extracted from EICDataStream, the EIC's global energy project database, shows that there are over 670 oil and gas projects alone proposed or under development in the MENA region, representing a total estimated investment of $1.25 trillion. In addition, there are a further 216 active or future power projects worth a total estimated value of $267bn. This scale of activity underlines the substantial new market opportunities for UK businesses that the region continues to offer, and it will be the focus of EIC Connect Oil, Gas and Power 2013.

For the conference sessions, panelists from the region's most prolific operators will sit alongside leading companies to address the challenging, but lucrative market opportunities currently emerging from the Middle East. In the morning session, 'Iraq: a land of cautious opportunity', panelists including senior representatives from SNC-Lavalin, Genel Energy, Shell, Parsons Brinckerhoff and Olive Group will look at the significant global capital being invested into oil and gas projects across Iraq and Kurdistan, alongside the challenges of operating in the country.

Commenting on the topic Terry Willis, Director, EIC Middle East, said, "UK companies are aware that doing business in Iraq comes with its challenges, and it is our intention to look at these challenges in more detail through this conference session. With 57 oil and gas projects currently under construction and a further 21 under tendering and bidding in Iraq, the importance of the opportunities being offered up by this market is clearly difficult to ignore."

In the afternoon conference session, 'Dash for Gas', panelists will include senior representatives from ADNOC, Manaar Energy, Shell, BP and Mubadala Petroleum, who will discuss the rising demand for gas across the region and consider the impacts of exploiting these resources on the supply chain.

The conference sessions will be complemented by a much-anticipated programme of supply chain briefings delivered by major operators and contractors. Confirmed to date are ADNOC, Drake & Scull, Fluor, Gasco, Kentz, Petrofac, Saudi Aramco, Saudi Electric Company, TAQA and WorleyParsons, who will inform suppliers on their upcoming projects in the region and procurement strategies. Delegates will also have the opportunity to book one-2-one meetings with the speakers and UKTI market specialists from across the Middle East to showcase their offer and discuss upcoming opportunities.

The event, taking place at St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort in Abu Dhabi, is being hosted by the Energy Industries Council (EIC), the leading trade association for UK companies supplying goods and services to the energy industries worldwide. EIC Connect Oil, Gas & Power 2013 is organised in association with UKTI.

In addition to the conference and supply chain briefings, 36 companies will be exhibiting products and services at the event, enabling delegates to discover the latest products and technologies in the exhibition, and network with over 400 industry peers throughout the course of the day.

The event will begin with an exclusive Networking Reception at the resort, exclusively for exhibitors, sponsors and VIPs, on the evening of 3 June. The Reception, sponsored by BP, will be opened by Dominic Jermey, UK Ambassador to UAE, and promises to be a fantastic welcome to EIC Connect Oil, Gas and Power 2013.

Speaking about the event, Dominic Jermey commented, "As the UK Ambassador for the UAE, I see this event as an important platform for UK companies to engage directly with the energy companies based across the region."

EIC staff will be on hand at the event to meet delegates and discuss the many ways that the organisation can help with business development activities, plus there will be live demonstrations of EICDataStream. EIC Consult's recent Kurdistan 2013 Insight Report, which provides detailed and robust analysis of progress and current project activity in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, will also be available to order at the event.

The next in the EIC Connect series of events will be EIC Connect Energy 2013 at Manchester Central on 12-13 November, which will cover all aspects of power generation including thermal power, nuclear and renewables.