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Middle East Electricity 2006 show opens

The event, which runs through to Wednesday, covers over 25,000 square metres features over 800 exhibitors from 51 countries and 18 country pavilions, including the world leaders in electricity, power generation, lighting, new and renewable energy and gas - each of which has a dedicate focus area within the exhibition.

"The scope and variety of the innovation on show this year is truly exceptional," said Sarah Woodbridge, exhibition director. “As the energy demands of the countries throughout the region continue to pose ever more sophisticated challenges to the global energy industry, the creative solutions being developed to meet them are highly impressive.’

The newly introduced gas-dedicated area of the show focuses on another of the highly active areas of growth in the regional energy industry. The latest estimates indicate that gas consumption in the Arab world has virtually overtaken oil demand- in the medium term, it is anticipated that the share of gas in the Arab energy market will rise from 48.9 per cent (2005) to 53.3 per cent by 2015. In parallel with this expansion, Arab oil producers are set to invest upwards of $84 billion into natural gas over the next five years, with around $532 billion earmarked over the next three decades.

Recently announcing the construction of a Dh.3.42 billion power generation and desalination project as part of a four-year Dh10 billion capacity expansion programme in Dubai, Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, Managing Director and chief executive officer of Dewa (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority), said that “the station will be equipped with the most advanced control and monitoring units and technologies for gas and thermal emission reduction to protect the environment - natural gas will be the principal fuel in operating the station, as gas is considered to be one of the cleanest fuels environmentally. This project will be a model for the new generation of power and desalination stations."