As many as 59 papers are being tabled at 7th Conference of the Arab Union of Electricity (AUE) to bring about solutions for advancement of electricity sector of Arab world.
A three-day event which began yesterday at Sheraton Hotel attracted 522 participants, including 18 official delegations from the member countries of the AUE.
The conference is organised by Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) in coordination with Arab Union of Electricity and Qatar Energy under the theme, ‘A Shared Vision Towards a Brighter Future for Electricity in the Arab World’.
Addressing the opening ceremony of the conference President of Kahramaa Eng Essa bin Hilal Al Kuwari said that 11 marathon sessions will be held during the conference to discuss policies and strategies of electricity sector of the Arab World.
“The agenda of the conference also includes power sector in the Arab world to keep pace with the fourth industrial revolution and the role of renewable energies in developing the economy and preserving the environment, common Arab market for electricity and power grid projects,” said Al Kuwari, who is also President of the Supreme Committee of the Conference.
He said that issues related to human resources in the energy sector, including technicians, experts and engineers, will be also discussed at the conference.
Speaking about the sustainability development, Al Kuwari said: “Qatar has adopted many pioneering initiatives to ensure the sustainability, and now we are on the way to host the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which will be the first carbon-neutral tournament, which is considered a great achievement for the Qatar.”
President of Arab Union of Electricity Eng Abderrahim El Hafidi said that the electricity sector is experiencing profound transformations at the global level in general and the Arab world in particular.
“This came amid rapid booms that the world is witnessing in terms of liberalisation and openness of the electricity market and global competitiveness and the transformation of the sector from a system that partially depends on the support of governments to a sector that operates on commercial foundations that enables it to rely itself, which ensures stability and sustainability,” said El Hafidi.
He said that the sector is also aware of rapid and important developments and transformations at the level of new technologies witnessing qualitative leaps in electricity supply and the increasing uses of digital technologies into electrical systems, including smart grids, as well as the key role that alternative energies, including green hydrogen, will play.
Director Energy Department at Arab League, Ambassador Jamila Matar said that the demand for electricity is expected to increase significantly year-by-year which requires a joint Arab effort by building power-grids and industries of electric equipment.
“I would like to assure that the General Secretariat of Arab League to exert all its efforts to achieve the target of setting up power grid for opening door to establish a common Arab market for electricity,” said Matar.
She said that he General Secretariat attached great importance to this issue, especially after signing the memorandum of understanding in 2017 for establishing the market.
Five panel discussions were held on the first day on different topics such as ‘Electrical System in the Arab World, Current Trends, Challenges and Future Prospects’ and ‘New and Renewable Energies in Arab World with Electrical Systems and Energy Mix’. The marathon panel discussions will continue today and tomorrow.
On the sideline of the conference, 10th exhibition of electrical equipment and supplies in the Arab world is also being held. As many as 21 exhibitors are showcasing the latest developments in electricity sector in the exhibition which also provides an opportunity for manufacturers, users and investors to meet and interact with each others.
