The fourth General Conference of Arab Union of Electricity on “investment opportunities in the electrical industries in the Arab countries” is set to open on January 7.
Along with the conference, an exhibition of electrical industries will also be held.
The event is being organised jointly by Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) and Arab Union of Electricity.
The three-day event coincides with the celebration of 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Arab Union of Electricity.
Essa Hilal al-Kuwari, Kahramaa president and conference chairman, said: “We are pleased for the participation of senior regional officials at the electricity and energy sector from the Arab countries.”
The holding of the high profile event in Qatar comes at a time when there is an increasing interest in the region in developing and upgrading the electricity sector through the application of latest technologies in electric power production, transmission and distribution, adoption of policies and strategies for alternative and renewable energy, and improving the strategic management of electricity sectors through smart grids programmes and systems.
“The conference, seminar and the accompanying exhibition are expected to attract attendance from the public and private sectors in the Arab world. Many senior officials, ministers and global level manufacturers have confirmed their participation,” said al-Kuwari.
Keynote speakers at the conference include Minister of Energy and Industry of Qatar, HE Dr Mohamed bin Saleh al-Sada Essa, Hilal al-Kuwari, assistant secretary general for economic affairs at the League of Arab States Dr Mohammed bin Ibrahim At-Twaijri, former minister of electricity of Egypt Dr Hassan Younes, president and CEO of Tunisian Company of Electricity and Gas Mohamed Ridha Ben Mosbah, CEO of the Electricity and Water Authority of Bahrain Sheikh Nawaf bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa, and Deputy Minister for Electricity and Water of Saudi Arabia Saeed Mohammed al-Tayer.
“Renewable energy and smart grids” is the main slogan of the conference.
The sessions to be covered at the conference include such issues as future solutions for electric power, medium and long-term national strategies to develop the structure of the Arab electricity sector, improving management and control of electric power networks and the effective use of smart grid applications for remote control of networks, promoting steps to expand the common Arab electricity grid, finding practical solutions for expanding the use of alternative and renewable energy sources, expanding and promoting scientific research, training in electricity, and the importance of renewable energy for the environment, and human, social and economic development.
Among the other topics for discussion are those related to the restructuring of the electricity sector in the Arab countries, investment opportunities, smart grids, distribution network maintenance, demand side management, energy conservation, loss reduction in electrical systems in generation, and transmission and distribution.