Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 25 May 2015: Top regional power producing companies Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) and Bahrain Electricity & Water Authority (BEWA) have confirmed participation as Supporting Utilities of the 13th annual POWER-GEN Middle East Conference and Exhibition. Under the Patronage of H.E. Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, UAE's Minister of Energy, the event is set to take place at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from 4-6 October 2015 with a welcome address by His Excellency, to mark the official opening on the inaugural day.

Activity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a leading world energy economy, will develop rapidly as large-scale capital spending is applied to building new capacity and expansion of existing facilities including $150 billion in power generation. The country needs in excess of 30,000 MW extra capacity by the year 2020 and SEC is planning to spend $80 billion over the next 10 years to meet Saudi Arabia's rising demand for electricity.

Nigel Blackaby, Event Director said, "The regional power generation industry is witnessing significant public and private investment especially in infrastructure projects for large-scale power generation. This is being led by heavyweights such as SEC and BEWA who are implementing the latest technologies and embracing innovation to create best-practice examples."

Current investment projects in Saudi Arabia feature significant private sector participation, with $79 billion in private-sector energy projects under development, according to the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority. This includes the collaboration between SEC, the Middle East's largest utility by market value and Saudi Aramco to build the Fadhili power plant which is currently inviting participation from the private sector.  Private investment is expected to grow even further as the economy expands and the Saudi business environment continues to improve.

Commenting on the participation, Eng. Hamed AlSaggaf, IPP & Renewable Energy Sector Executive Director at SEC said:  "We are delighted to participate at the annual PGME Conference and Exhibition. With a number of partnerships with several international experts to drive power generation across all our plants, PGME is the ideal platform to engage in the conversation of power generation, driving efficiency and long-term sustainability."

Bahrain's state agency responsible for power and water, BEWA, is planning to develop the national infrastructure over the next five years (2015 to 2019) at a total cost of $3.6 to 4.0 billion. This includes developing smaller-scale solar and waste-driven power generation plants to diversify the country's energy mix.

Adnan Fakhro, Deputy Chief Executive Distribution & Customer Service at Bahrain Electricity and Water Authority commented:  "Bahrain's boasts a world-class transmission network and power infrastructure, capable of trading electricity within the GCC.  This exhibition is an opportunity to demonstrate Bahrain's innovation and use of technology and engage with the industry about plans for future growth."

Further event details including list of conference topics and exhibitors along with the Digital Preliminary Event Guide can be found on the POWER-GEN Middle East website at www.power-gen-middleeast.com. 

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© Press Release 2015