MEE 2013 DAY THREE 17 - 19 FEBRUARY 2013 www.middleeastelectricity.com Doing Global Business the Power of Good
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Confidence in the region’s power sector demonstrated at MEE 2013
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INSIDE
Scenes from the show Check out latest the images from Middle East Electricity Page 15
GCC intensifies solar focus Renewable integration on the agenda for the Gulf region Page 9
Aramco explores new roles Oil giant targets opportunities in the power generation sector Pages 12-13 Free solar workshop Page 14 Anita Mathews, Director of Informa Energy Group, organisers of Middle East Electricity.
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iddle East Electricity closes today with both visitor and exhibitor numbers up, reflecting growing optimism within the region’s power and energy markets. Anita Mathews, Director of Informa Energy Group, organisers of Middle East Electricity, said, “There is a lot of dynamic activity going on across the GCC’s power sector and with approximately US$46bn worth of power projects with completion dates within the next two years it will continue its grow. “Whether it is the increasing population, a growing number of infrastructure developments, or an increase in energy demand, there have been many factors driving investments in the power sector, and that has been reflected in the way
Middle East Electricity has been growing.” Visitor figures for the first day of Middle East Electricity 2012 demonstrated a 28 per cent year-on-year increase compared to the 2012 edition of the show, which Mathew’s described as a “phenomenal increase” in event traffic. This year’s show saw the introduction of the Solar Middle East exhibition, providing suppliers and manufacturers of solar and PV equipment with a dedicated platform to promote their products and services. “Solar has always been a part of MEE, but we thought it best to have a dedicated platform for the solar and PV sector,” Mathews noted. “There has been a growing emphasis on solar and renewable projects across the MENA region and we wanted to make it
easier for companies to promote their solar range at MEE by creating a separate platform for them.” Mathews said that the co-located exhibition had enjoyed a very good start in terms of exhibitor uptake, with close to 100 companies opting to exhibit at the new solar platform. MEE 2013 also saw the launch of the Green Energy Conference. Set up in partnership with Dubai Municipality the conference provided a platform for the Municipality to promote its green building codes. Looking forward 12 months, Mathews said that the focus of MEE 2014 would be on building on current sectors. “MEE has for the past few years averaged five to 10 per cent growth in spite of the
economic slowdown and the show has continued growing, which we hope to achieve in 2014 and beyond,” she remarked. “We launched Solar Middle East this year and our objective is to grow that further for the next edition. We’ve had a very good response from exhibitors and visitors alike for the event and for the 2014 event we expect this to grow further.” The build-up to MEE 2014 is already well underway with Mathews noting that within an hour of opening on the first day, a number of exhibitors had asked to rebook for bigger stands next year. “It is a very positive sign that exhibitors have been coming to us and saying they would like to secure their presence at the next edition of the show,” concluded Mathews.