Danish Minister for Business and Growth Leads a Tour for Danish Companies in Dubai

H.E. Troels Lund Poulsen, Danish Minister for Business and Growth lead representatives of 45 Danish companies in a two days visit to Dubai, UAE, during which several workshops and activities on relevant issues were organized. The Minister’s visit aimed to strengthen the commercial ties between Denmark and the UAE, and follow-up on the MOU signed in 2014 between the two sides on the exchange of knowledge in sustainability and energy efficiency fields.

The visiting companies were divided into three groups: a group for aviation, a group for maritime, and a group for green technologies. The activities of the Green Tech group were organized by Act NOW by Grundfos, a partnership between private, public and non-governmental organizations with the goal to promote reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Grundfos, the award-winning world leader in advanced pump solution, along with other 16 Danish companies were part of the Green Tech group. Grundfos also participated in water related workshop held on water issues along with other Danish companies Kamstrup, AVK, Niras and Transform - Rootzone.

During his visit, the Danish Minister for Business and Growth attended the launch of the 500,000 square feet Green Sports Hub, Part of Jumeirah Golf Estates’ Phase A. The new facility in Dubai, designed to boost sport tourism to the emirate, will have the international Danish footballer Ebbe Sand as main stakeholder.

“We were pleased to be part of the activities that took place during the visit of H.E. the Danish Minister for Business and Growth to Dubai. The visit and the participation of 45 renowned Danish companies including Grundfos, reflected the high standards enjoyed by Danish companies in fields of aviation, maritime and green technologies. The visit also expresses the interests that these companies have in the UAE market, and will help in unlocking huge potentials for future cooperation with the UAE,” commented Henning Sandager, Grundfos Area Managing Director, Middle East and Turkey.

He added: “Grundfos participation in the Green Tech group and its ownership of Act NOW partnership are testimonies of its sincere efforts to reduce energy consumption and promote rational use of valued resources such as water. We in Grundfos will continue our endeavors in these fields with the aim to support our sustainability goals.

The groups of companies that participated in the two day events, visited the Dubai Municipality’s new USD9.5 billion Desert Rose sustainable city project, to get more information on the tenders of the project, and they were informed by senior officials that the tenders will be issued next year. They also met Killa Design, one of the most prestigious architecture firms in Dubai. Grundfos and other Danish companies gave their presentations during the meeting that were held, with the aim to explore how companies can participate in early phases of the projects.

The groups also visited the Sustainable City and attended a presentation given by the Danish architecture firm CEBRA who is responsible for the design of the sustainable school in the city. It’s important that Grundfos is part of this project which represents the strong corporation between Act NOW members and the Sustainable City. The Danish Act NOW team will also take part in the new sustainable hotel in the city, along with new transportation and water projects.

The Danish companies also met with EXPO 2020 and were invited to present their products and solutions. They were briefed as well about the tenders that would be launched during the coming four years, more than 77 tender have been already announced. The Expo has specific targets that were discussed with the group in the light of the large requirements of this grand event including the 25 million visitors expected (more than 60,000 a day), the new airport, 280 new hotels and 5,000 people working 24/7 at the site for the Expo 2020. The world famous architect BIG has been selected to design 1 of the 3 main pavilions at EXPO2020.

A morning biking activity with the Danish Green Tech group was also organized marking the official opening of the Danish solar panel designed and developed by Gaia Solar A/S, at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Seih Al Dahal, Dubai. H.E. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), has welcomed H.E. Troels Lund Poulsen, Danish Minister for Business and Growth and his accompanying delegation at the park. The event witnessed fruitful informal discussions between the Danish companies and DEWA management.