World’s power sector leaders converge in Dubai for MEE 2020

Business Bureau, Gulf Today

Power sector leaders have arrived in the UAE for this week’s mega Middle East Energy exhibition and probing conference series which begins a three-day run from Tuesday (March 3).

Set against the background of an industry in the midst of major disruption and transformation, the show, previously known as Middle East Electricity (MEE), has attracted more than 1,100 exhibitors from more than 130 countries. Industry heavyweights will demonstrate breakthrough technologies that are changing the entire energy eco-system, with power capacity in the Mena region set for annual 6.4 per cent growth through 2022, according to the Energy & Utilities Market Outlook Report 2020, produced by Informa Markets, organiser of Middle East Energy.

The same report predicts that investment in renewable energy in the Mena region will top $35 billion per year by the end of 2020. Underlining its reputation at the forefront of energy sector innovation, Middle East Energy will launch on Tuesday with Plenary Sessions of the much-anticipated conference series. The conference’s opening session - held under the theme ‘Energy in Transition, Connecting the World: Demand, Digitalisation, Diversification’ – will feature energy luminaries Nasser Saidi, Chairman, Clean Energy Business Council (Mena); and Yousif Al Ali, Executive Director, Masdar and Gauri Singh, Deputy Director General, IRENA. The Plenary Sessions are expected to unearth key insights into future developments in an industry battling with a complex mix of sustainability and conservation needs alongside rising global power demand.

This year’s expanded, free-to-attend Middle East Energy knowledge programme also features a dedicated ‘Digitalisation in Energy Conference’, which has a focus on digital grids and digital future cities and a conference devoted to Renewables. Together they comprise 30 conference sessions, over 150 speakers and represent 25 hours of learning opportunities.

Visitors to Middle East Energy will find a technology showcase across the event’s five product sectors of power generation, renewables, transmission & distribution, energy conservation & managements and digitalisation.

“As energy demand continues to rise and renewables play an ever-increasing transformative role, Middle East Energy will once again be at the forefront of driving discussion and setting the agenda to meet global power needs,” said Claudia Konieczna, Exhibition Director – Informa Industrial Group.

“The show has once again attracted the major players showcasing the latest breakthroughs while taking a deep-dive into hot industry topics such as digitalisation. With Expo 2020 on the horizon, Middle East Energy will shine the spotlight on many solutions that will be optimised when Dubai welcomes the world again in October.”

Middle East Energy is held under the patronage of Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Deputy Ruler and is hosted by the UAE Ministry of Energy.

Middle East Energy will be open daily from 10-6pm and, following a partnership between the event organiser Informa Markets and Dubai Expo 2020, exhibition goers can purchase Expo 2020 tickets at this week’s show. A range of Informa Markets exhibitions will be held as part of the Expo 2020 experience. Meanwhile, 19 companies from France are exhibiting on the French pavilion organised by Business France at the MEE.

The French pavilion represents the sector as a whole - equipment and applications for power generation, transmission and distribution, protection and security products & systems, lighting.