Forum's first day discusses sustainable water-energy balance and highlights demand for electricity in the region

Dubai, UAE 24 September 2012 - The CWC Group's 'Arabian Water & Power Forum' opened today (September 24 2012) in Dubai at the Atlantis, The Palm Hotel on Dubai's Palm Jumeirah. The event is held under the Patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Maktoum Bin Juma Al Maktoum, and partnered with the UAE Ministry of Environment & Water, DEWA & DSCE, and will run until September 25, 2012, welcoming leading experts from the energy, water and power industries.

Attending the high profile event was H.E. Dr Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahad, the UAE's Minister for Environment & Water.

The first session of the day was titled "Achieving a Sustainable Water-Energy Balance" and discussed reforming, regulating and resource management issues. The session was moderated by David Scott, Executive Director of Economic & Energy Affairs, UAE Executive Affairs Authority and welcomed speakers including H.E. Dr Saleh Alawaji, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Saudi Electricity Company & Deputy Minister for Electricity, Saudi Ministry of Electricity & Water, KSA; Einar Al Hareeri, Head of Elecrticity Demand Forecasting Section, ADWEC; and Suhaila Marafi, Director of Studies and Research, Kuwait  Ministry of Electricty & Water, Kuwait.

"The opening session was very interesting as it revealed developments within power and water projects, identified the crucial steps that must be taken to form a strong regulatory framework for driving forward IPP and IWPPs, as well as the steps to stimulate energy efficiency and consumer behavior control," said H Frederic Ponton, The CWC Group's Director of Government Relations - Middle East. 

At 10:30 am, H.E. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman, Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, MD & CEO of DEWA, gave his opening address which was followed by a session on overcoming the challenges of effective water and electricity demand side management. The session was moderated by Dr. Amro Farid, Assistant Professor - Engineering Systems and Management, Masdar Institute and welcomed speakers including Nafa Abdulsada Ali Al-Humeadwe, Director General - Energy Distribution, Iraq Ministry of Electricity, Iraq; David Scott, Executive Director of Economic & Energy Affairs, UAE Executive Affairs Authority; Dr. Slavco Velickov, Industry Sales Director Water, Bentley Systems; Abdullah Ali Al Nofli, Senior Manager Distribution, Operation & Maintenance Division, Majan Electricity Company (MJEC).

Melissa Rambridge, Event Director, The CWC Group said, "The second session discussed assessing pricing signals as policy tools for demand management and highlighted the importance of educating the public to encourage more manageable consumer behavior. It also focused on developing human capacity and encouraging knowledge transfer to establish knowledge based economies."

The day continued with two afternoon sessions focusing on Gas Power Generation and Water Resource Management respectively. The first session was moderated by Jabbar Allibi, Former DG of the South Oil Company & Chairman of the Board of Directors, the Minister's Former Advisor for the South Oil Fields, Iraqi Ministry of Oil, and welcomed Dr. Keramat Fakhari, Senior Product Manager - Middle East Heavy Duty Gas Turbines, GE Energy; Alaa Harba, Chairman, Babylon Investment Commission; and Gerhard Scheffer, Vice President Sales, Siemens Energy.

The second session was moderated by Vahid Fotuhi, President, Emirates Solar Industry Association (ESIA) with speakers including Dr. Pascal Saikaly, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering, KAUST; Samir Fayyad, Vice President - Technical, AES Arabia; Mahmoud Kabeel, Sales Manager, Metito Saudi Arabia; and Dr. Farrukh Ahmad, Associate Professor - Water and Environmental Engineering, Masdar Institute. The session highlighted key topics related to water management such as region's potential for an effective water re-use scheme and determining the level of investment required for water infrastructure enhancement.

The final session of Day one was led by IDA and included the following speakers:  Dr. Corrado Sommariva, Managing Director, ILF, President, IDA; Alistair Munro, CEO and Managing Director, PROJECX, IDA Director; Dr. Adil Bushnak, CEO Bushnak Group, IDA Past President; Fady Juez, Managing Director, METITO, 1st VP IDA; and Bob Bryniak, Chief Executive Officer, Golden Sands Management Consulting.

"Arabian Water and Power forum has drawn the attention of senior government officials along with key decision makers from the energy industry and provides delegates with two full days of sessions, workshops, and networking functions," added Rambridge.  

The first day ended with the Arabian Water & Power Forum Awards for Innovation in Sustainability. The ceremony recognised and rewarded companies and professionals who have demonstrated exceptional talent and innovation through work on sustainable power and water projects.

Arabian Water & power Forum is organized by The CWC Group, a leading events company focused on energy and infrastructure issues. For more information about the event, the program and the speakers, please visit www.cwcawpf.com

About The CWC Group
The CWC Group specializes in energy and infrastructure issues and is dedicated to developing knowledge, creating commercial opportunities and implementing strategic solutions for governments and industries by offering professional training, strategic conferences and exhibitions around the world. Recognized for its outstanding achievements toward these goals, The CWC Group was honored with the Queen's Award for Enterprise in 2011 and in 2007 under the category of International Trade. The CWC Group maintains long-established partnerships with governments, corporate investors, trade organizations and senior industry executives in order to promote private-public co-operation in the oil, gas, power and telecommunication sectors. The CWC Group currently works with over 30 governments, OPEC, the World Bank and numerous non-profit associations and non-governmental organizations.

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© Press Release 2012