The Summit sees ADWEA accept the Arabian Energy & Water Industry Leadership Award on behalf of H.H. Sheikh Diab bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of ADWEA
MEED’s 2010 Arabian Power and Water Summit got underway yesterday at the Fairmont’s new Bab Al Bahr Hotel in Abu Dhabi. In attendance were some of the region’s most influential industry leaders and decision-makers who use the summit as a platform to discuss solutions to what is an ever increasing need to provide an efficient supply of power and water in order to sustain population growth. MEED estimates that new power capacity requirement to 2015 is 7,500MW and new desalination requirement to 2015 is 310 million gallons per day, which calls for substantial investment.
To mark the beginning of the summit, H.E. Abdullah Saif Al Nuaimi, Director of the Privatisation Directorate at ADWEA accepted the Arabian Energy & Water Industry Leadership Award on behalf of the organization’s Chairman, H.H. Sheikh Diab bin Zayed Al Nahyan,. The award is MEED’s highest honour and is awarded to those who have exhibited vision, made lasting contributions to the power and water Industry and inspired and directed industry members to accomplish their goals.
A spokesperson from ADWEA commented on Sheikh Diab accepting the award, “H.H. Sheikh Diab bin Zayed Al Nahyan is honoured to accept this award. Thanks to the leadership of His Highness, ADWEA is achieving its goals of operational and financial performance to be the best in the region and to be comparable with leading companies in the water and electricity sector worldwide; we would like to thank MEED for recognizing the continuing efforts and leadership qualities of our esteemed chairman.”
The summit raised issues that will need to be dealt with going forward, such as how governments can create commercial and economic frameworks that will ensure that the most economic investment decisions are made. Governments still need to determine what the ideal portfolio for GCC future power generation is and how to integrate alternative fuel sources into existing structures.
Edmund O’Sullivan, MEED Events Chairman commented, “The purpose of the Arabian Power and Water Summit is to provide a platform for the industry leaders to come together and discuss the best way to meet the key strategic and technical challenges that lie ahead. The success of the power and water industry is vital to the region’s growth so it is imperative that the industry’s decision makers are fully informed of the different solutions available to fulfil power & water demand.”
For the first time anywhere in the Middle East, the Summit also featured a presentation regarding the challenges Iraq is facing as part of their reconstruction effort. John Dempsey, Generation Advisor, Iraq Transition and Assistance Office (ITAO) and Jeff Larkin, Country Manager - Iraq, Parsons Brinckerhoff, outlined the plans to raise the US$26 billion that the country’s Minister of Electricity has estimated is needed to refurbish and increase the electrical sector capacity in the country.
The Summit hosted 60 industry speakers from across the Middle East and North Africa, including H.E Loay Al Musallam, Chief Executive Officer, National Water Company, Saudi Arabia, Dr. Ranald Spiers, Executive Director Middle East & Asia, International Power, Nauman Ahmed, Regional Director of Power Plants Middle East, Wartsila Corporation, Bander Allaf, Senior Planning Engineer, Saudi Electricity Company and Richard Palmer, Advisor Project & Corporate Finance, Mubadala Development Company.
Eddie O’Sullivan concluded, “It is of critical importance that companies and individuals have their fingers firmly on the pulse of industry developments and the opportunities within it. The involvement of so many of the region’s governmental organisations is testament to the high regard that our annual summit is held within the region’s power and water sectors, and the value that it offers delegates.”
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