POWER DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE REGION SHOWCASED AT THE SUCCESSFULLY CONCLUDED POWER QATAR SUMMIT 2015

The current progress and future of the power sector and plans to promote renewable energy resources in the State of Qatar were discussed at length, across two days at the recently concluded Power Qatar Summit 2015, held under the patronage of KAHRAMAA. Organized by global conference producers, Expotrade, the summit was held on 26-27 October at The Ritz-Carlton, Doha. 

Eng. Abdulaziz Al Hammadi, Manager – Conservation & Energy, Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (KAHRAMAA), inaugurated the summit along with Fahad Al Mohannadi, General Manager & Managing Director, Qatar Electricity and Water Company (QEWC) and Saleh Hamad Al Marri, Head of Renewable Energy Technologies, KAHRAMAA. The opening session was attended by dignitaries such as 1st Secretary Jihun CHO, Embassy of the Republic of Korea; H.E. Munir Ghannam, Ambassdor, Embassy of the State of Palestine; H.E. Deddy Saiful Hadi, Ambassdor, Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia; Mr. Peter Ziegler, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, H.E. Shingo Tsuda, Ambassador, Embassy of Japan and Dr. M. Anas Arnaout, Legal Advisor, Ministry of Justice, State of Qatar.

Eng. Abdulaziz Al Hammadi delivered the opening speech that emphasized on the solar energy potential in Qatar, which was later followed by a welcome address by Fahad Al Mohannadi. Over two days, the summit featured over 20 keynote sessions, presentations, panel discussions and unrivalled networking opportunities making it a one-stop platform to discuss new developments in the power sector in the GCC region. The two-day summit saw leading experts from all over the world provide insights to capitalize on the region’s energy potential.

Mr. Brad Hariharan, Regional Director, Expotrade Middle East, said, “We are delighted about the success of the Power Qatar summit. The summit lived up to its promise of providing actionable insights to boost the power sector in the region.  Energy efficiency, sustainability and effective utilization of energy resources were the broad themes addressed by the speakers. We offer our sincere thanks to all sponsors, speakers, delegates and partners for supporting the event.”

Among the list of renowned speakers presenting on day one were Saleh Hamad Al Marri, Head of Renewable Energy Technologies, KAHRAMAA; Hashim Al-Zahrani, Head of ICC, GCC Interconnection Authority; Faisal Rashid, Director, Demand Side Management, Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Philippe Freyssinet, Director-Energy & Environment, Qatar National Research Fund speaking on KAHRAMAA's Prospective Projects for Solar Energy; 400-kV Interconnection Super Grid; Dubai Demand Side Management Strategy 2030 and QNRF actions on Clean Energy Technologies respectively.

Sharad Somani, Executive Director & ASPAC Head for Power & Utilities, KPMG Corporate Finance, moderated the day one panel discussion on reviewing the challenges facing solar industry growth and the role of solar energy in sustainable city development. The participating panelists were Mohamed Nagib Omara, Technical Advisor to the President, KAHRAMAA; Dr. Haitham Abu-Rub, Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering Program, Texas A&M University at Qatar; Mansour Al Qahtani, Executive Vice President – Distribution & Customer Service, Saudi Electricity Company and Arnaud Berthet, Head of Representative office, Engie –Qatar.

Day 2 session began with Walid Al Deghaili, Energy Sector Expert - Sustainable Development Policies Division, UN-ESCWA presenting on water use for energy, followed by Jan Schoenig, Program Manager, Major Events, Siemens WLL Qatar. During his session, he focused on the new products, systems and solutions in the area of energy transmission, distribution and energy efficiency. 

Also, present at the event to share their insights on Day 2 were Dr. Ioannis Spanos, Senior Sustainability Manager, KEO International Consultants, Prof. Nouar Tabet, ‎Principal Investigator and Dr. Abdelkader Bousselham, Senior Scientist-Grid Integration of Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute. Panel discussion on attaining sustainability through a combination of conventional and renewable energy sources included experts David Martin McKenna, Senior Sustainability Engineer, ASTAD Project Management; Dr. Esam Elsarrag, Director Research & Development, Gulf Organisation for Research & Development; Dr. Obindah Gershon nee Wagbara, Adjunct Professor of Energy Economics, Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in Qatar and Dr. Ioannis Spanos of KEO International Consultants.

Speakers included experts from WSP| Parsons Brinckerhoff, KAPSARC and premium sponsors ENGIE, Siemens, Bronzeye, KPMG, Ooredoo, Rawafid Systems, Oracle Utilities and Eversheds who touched upon the different aspects of the power and energy sector in the region. 

Other sponsors included NEP, Innovation Renewable Energy, Qatar International Electrical Co WLL, Middle East Specialized Cables (MESC), Voltamp Energy SAOG, Field Industrial Supplies WLL Qatar (FIS), Netico, Roxtec Teksan Generator, Yamuna Densons, Scania, Gulf Pearl Block & Tiles Factory, Hamton International W.L.L, Al-Ojaimi Group, POWERSYS, Albawakir and Warmat who displayed a range of solutions at the exhibitor lounge. 

The prize draw at the close of day two garnered the attention of all attendees. One lucky winner won a 2 nights’ stay at the luxurious Ritz-Carlton, West Bay Lagoon property, while another took home an iPad. 

With more than 400 participants from across the GCC attending the summit, the sponsors of the summit commented favorably at its close. Mr. Arnaud Berthet, Head of representative Office, ENGIE – Qatar, said, “We have a diverse scope of people and companies here, which is very useful. It is a very good environment to exchange ideas about how to make the energy world more sustainable for Qatar and globally for the region. These kind of forums help you meet the right people, involved in the power and solar energy sector.”

Mr. Aasit M. Naik, General Manager – Central Marketing, Voltamp Energy SAOG described the event as “power packed with excellent presentations by all speakers which gave great insight into progress made by Qatar and also futuristic way for new projects.” He further added, “The event was well attended by the key stakeholders of the power sector, both from the public as well as the industry.”