WETEX 2012 achieves unprecedented success

WETEX 2012 achieves unprecedented success

Sustainability and renewable energy are among key exhibition tracks

Dubai, UAE – 14th March, 2012-: The 14th Water, Energy, & Environment Exhibition 2012 (WETEX) has achieved unprecedented success in terms of participants, visitors and other activities related to the exhibition. The first two days witnessed significant visitor turnout from different government and private departments either from the UAE, the GCC and other countries. The five halls of the exhibition saw a huge turnout to look at the different platforms of displays and to visit the participating pavilions. Also, there were discussions between visitors and representatives of the exhibitors, who are showcasing the most state-of-the-art technologies and equipment in different fields of the exhibition, in addition to the latest developments related to renewable energy and sustainability.

“The directives and support of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and President of DEWA, were the direct reasons of this success. I’m very satisfied with the great success of the exhibition and I’d like to thank everyone, who participated in achieving this success, including the Higher Organizing Committee, sponsors with their different categories, participants either from government or private departments and national, Arab and international participating companies,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA.

“The importance of this exhibition can be clearly seen in the specialized pavilions, which are characterized by integrated displays, as they bring together manufacturers, agents, users and decision-makers all under one roof. That’s the reason why specialists, professionals and engineers are largely attending the exhibition and are keen to look at the latest developments in the vital fields of the exhibition,” added His Excellency.

“Participating companies of oil, gas and other related industries, which are participating in the exhibition for the first time, are a major factor that attracts professionals and specialists from these fields who have shown great interest in latest technologies and displays, especially modern systems of exploration, excavation, extracting, refining, marketing and other related activities of energy,” added His Excellency.

“Technologies of renewable energy, particularly solar energy, have taken the biggest part of exhibitors and visitors’ concern as they are eco-friendly technologies. Pavilions of solar energy have witnessed intense turnout. Also, visitors and exhibitors, who are displaying models of equipment of getting electricity from solar energy through economic methods as well as future technologies of this promising source of energy, which is a vital factor of sustainable development and is the energy of the future,” His Excellency pointed out.

His Excellency also said that water resources management, technologies and equipment have taken up a good space at the exhibition. A good number of visitors visited these pavilions to look at latest developments in the field of water conservation and usage reduction through utilizing different technologies and equipment.

“As for the equipment of energy systems, visitors were very interested in them and there were engineering and technical discussions among professionals and specialists of these fields as well as the companies exhibiting these technologies and systems. Modern energy management systems are a vital necessity due to the increasing growth of demand for energy and the necessity to conserve it for generations to come,” His Excellency added.

Waste management and environment conservation is an important track of the exhibition, which gives this matter great attention as protecting the environment, is one of the most important factors of sustainable development.
Also, various visiting delegations from government and private sectors and individuals have made tours and visits to the other pavilions.

His Excellency referred to the launch of the first interactive electronic application compatible with “windows surface” on DEWA’s platform during the exhibition. This application targets all segments of DEWA customers as it provides services of bill inquiry, finding DEWA customer service centres, more than 200 channels for bill payment including oil stations ENOC and EPCO, Emirates Post and Etisalat. Also, this application shows videos on water and electricity conservation as well as documentary photographs illustrating DEWA’s achievements at GITEX and WETEX. Moreover, the application includes some useful links for customers known as Quick Response Codes.

In conclusion, HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer praised the visits made to the exhibition by students from educational institutes in Dubai, including universities, colleges and schools, while stressing the importance of these visits in educating students and encouraging them to respond to different social initiatives, especially wise consumption of water and power resources for the sake of our march towards sustainable development.

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid opens WETEX 2012

Under directives from HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid opens WETEX 2012

This Year’s Exhibition witnesses wide participation from local, regional and international businesses

National oil and gas companies participates for the first time

Dubai, UAE 13 March 2012-: Under directives from HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, the 14th Water, Energy, & Environment Exhibition 2012 (WETEX), organized by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) under the umbrella of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (SCE), opened this morning. The Exhibition lasts for three days from 13th to 15th March at Zabeel Hall and Halls 1, 2, 3 and 4 at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and President of DEWA, opened the Exhibition in the presence of top figures and officials in Dubai.

After the opening ceremony with HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, top officials accompanied by HE Matar Humaid Al Tayer, Chairman of DEWA, and HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and MD and CEO of DEWA, explored the Exhibition and viewed the displays and equipment being showcased by companies from 28 countries from over the world participating in the Exhibition. His Highness listened to an overview from HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer about the Exhibition and the wide participation of national and international companies, whose number has reached 1,055 this year. His Highness also listened to a summary of DEWA’s projects, achievements and updates in this year’s Exhibition, specifically the participation of the oil and gas sectors and their related activities for the first time this year.

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum praised DEWA and the significant developments it has made for all its facilities in addition to the excellent services DEWA provides, which has made it one of the best utilities in the world. Also, His Highness praised the exhibition and the developments it has made every year and its global profile to date, which has become an important landmark in Dubai’s international exhibition map. His Highness also praised the continuous efforts of DEWA to protect the environment through green technologies and renewable energy projects and its applications of best practices in this field, which support resources sustainability and the green economy in Dubai.

The opening ceremony was attended by HE Mattar Humaid Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of DEWA, Saeed Al Kindi, Chairman of the Dubai Rental Dispute Settlement Committee, Abdul Rahman Saif Al Ghurair, Chairman of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, HE Hussein Nasser Lootah, Director General of the Dubai Municipality, HE Abdulrahman Al Saleh, Director General of the Dubai Department of Finance, Qhadi Al Murooshid, Director General of the Dubai Health Authority, HE Yasser Abdullah Amiri, Director General of the Financial Audit Department, HE Ahmad Bin Hassan Al Shaikh, Chairman of Ducab, HE Salma Hareb, CEO of Jafza and Economic Zones World, HE Dr Abdullah Al Karam, Director General of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, HE Khaled Al Kemda, Director General of the Community Development Authority, HE Ali Rashed Lootah, Chairman of Nakheel, HE Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, Deputy Commander of Dubai Police, HE Hilal Al Marri, Chairman of Dubai World Trade Centre, HE Hani Al Hamli, Secretary General of the Dubai Economic Council and Nejib Zaafrani, CEO and Secretary General of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, and senior officials from the business sector in Dubai and HE Fahad Al Muhannadi, Manging Director of the Qatar Electricity and Water Corporation.

“The 14th Water, Energy, & Environment Exhibition 2012 (WETEX) is being launched under directives from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, opens up new scopes, and attracts cutting-edge technologies and major international companies to Dubai. This enhances Dubai’s position as the preferred regional hub for finance, trade, business, and tourism. The number of companies and organizations participating in this year’s Exhibition reached 1,055 in comparison with 715 in last year’s Exhibition. Also, WETEX 2012 is characterized by the expansion of SmarTech, which showcases state-of-the-art technologies that conserve and reduce power consumption by incorporating the most eco-friendly designs and materials,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA.

“This year’s Exhibition focuses on the environment by following up on the UAE’s progress and continuous efforts to conserve resources and protect the environment. The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is one of our pioneering projects to generate electricity from solar energy, and will have a production capacity of 1,000 Megawatts. This model of the park is on display at the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy booth, and forms the foundation and benchmark for our strategy to utilize clean and renewable energy, which plays an important role in our sustainable development. The Dubai Supreme Council of Energy will present the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030, as new sources of energy will be provided and, consequently, shares of different sources of energy will be changed to 71 % gas and the remaining 29 % comprising nuclear energy, coal and renewable sources of energy. In this way, electricity from solar energy will constitute 5% of our electricity needs in 2030,” His Excellency added.

His Excellency praised the huge turnout, which reflects the great position of the United Arab Emirates in general, and Dubai in particular, as the preferred hub for finance, business and other activities. This global economic event is a milestone, which adds to Dubai’s record of varied economic and commercial activities, organized all the year round.

“The participation of fossil fuel, including oil, gas and related activities, in this year’s Exhibition is of significant importance as fossil fuels are one of the sources of energy used at on a wide scale. Therefore, the Exhibition has become integrated and includes different sources of energy,” His Excellency pointed out.

His Excellency praised the participation by many ministries, municipalities, government departments, and public benefit organizations, which showcase their achievements and services. His Excellency also praised the wide participation from different countries of the world; such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, the USA, Korea, Russia, China, Canada, Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Holland, Singapore, Greece, Turkey, and India.

“This Exhibition includes important displays and addresses critical issues, all of which help the UAE’s efforts to implement sustainable development within different economic sectors and protect the environment as a strategic objective. Throughout its journey to serve the nation’s economy, DEWA has promoted the Exhibition in many countries around the world, and there has been a good response and success in attracting a wide participation, due to the facilities it has provided so participants can showcase their ideas and products to help decision makers in these fields,” His Excellency added.

The Exhibition includes a list of major national and international companies, whose displays include a lot of products; such as agricultural equipment, desalination systems, modern systems of irrigation, water pumping equipment, boilers, cables, electrical transformers, connectors, energy saving products, pipes, valves, generators, electricity- and water-transmission and distribution equipment, and other modern equipment. This Exhibition also provides a great opportunity for decision makers from government departments in the region and all over the world to look at these products and meet face-to-face with companies, manufacturers and agents from different countries of the world. It provides participating companies with the opportunity to promote their products in the field of water, power and environment and showcase solutions to different problems that hinder the progress of these important sectors of economy. The Exhibition also contributes to developing effective strategies and state-of-the-art technologies to manage resources of power and water, while protecting the environment.

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer invited specialists and professionals to attend the seminars and lectures of the Exhibition as well as cutting-edge technologies in these fields, which target professionals and technicians from different government and private sectors.

On an environmental level, the SCE has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence to develop a strategy for CO2 and greenhouse gas abatement and this strategy will link the necessary processes and policies for carbon credit trading, while providing financial incentives to reduce emissions. This is part of a comprehensive initiative to turn the UAE into an environmentally-friendly nation.

Empower to showcase model of its DIFC district cooling plant at WETEX 2012

Empower to showcase model of its DIFC district cooling plant at WETEX 2012

Bin Shafar: “The overwhelming response to district cooling in Dubai will boost green building technology”

Dubai, UAE, 13th March 2012: His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, visited Empower’s stand at the 14th Water, Energy, Environment, Oil and Gas Exhibition 2012 (WETEX) that is being taking place from 13th to 15th March at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Empower is displaying the model of its 60,000 refrigeration tonnes district cooling plant which at Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), one of the biggest projects in Dubai.

Ahmed Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower commented on this occasion: “We are delighted to have the model of our district cooling plant in DIFC displayed in the show. We believe that district cooling will accelerate the move towards green buildings in the UAE as per the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.”

The district cooling plant in DIFC forms part of the expansion strategy of Empower, driven by high demand from the business sector and residential communities in Dubai.

“We are honored by the visit of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum to our stand. This comes at a time Empower is reaching an enviable position worldwide and in the region”, added Bin Shafar.

Empower’s plant built in DIFC follows the best international standards in design and operations.

Empower is expecting an increased demand for district cooling solutions in coming years, and this is reflected in its active participation at WETEX 2012.

WETEX is featuring discussions on environmental topics by international experts. District cooling is highly eco-friendly and therefore represents an excellent alternative to conventional air conditioning. Empower is displaying a range of district cooling solutions through its participation at WETEX 2012.

Empower, which is a joint venture between TECOM and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), is now producing more than 360,000 refrigeration tonnes serving a set of leading real estate projects in Dubai like Dubai International Financial Center, Dubai Healthcare City, Jumeirah Beach Residence, City Of Arabia and Business Bay.

Empower builds its district cooling plants according to the supply and demand of district cooling services, and it uses the latest practices in designing and building these plants.