World Energy Congress opens in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi / WAM

The 24th World Energy Congress (WEC), kicked off in Abu Dhabi on Monday, gathering ministers, CEOs, policy-makers and industry practitioners from 150 countries to explore new energy futures, critical innovation areas, and new strategies.
Under the theme “Energy for Prosperity”, the Energy Congress leads delegates through a four-day interactive programme designed to address the most critical issues facing the global energy industry today.
The event, which runs from September 9-12 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), is held under the patronage of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. It is the world’s premier energy gathering, offering a unique opportunity for participants to better understand energy issues and solutions from a global perspective.
This year’s Congress will feature 80 panel discussions – focusing on the entire energy spectrum – including oil and gas, electricity, development of clean coal, nuclear power and renewable energy, as well as transport, energy efficiency, finance, investment, consultancy, among others.

Global energy undergoing change at
unprecedented speed: DoE chairman
Abu Dhabi / WAM

Global energy is undergoing change at an unprecedented speed, driven by a blend of innovations in technology and the emerging supply and demand dynamics that influence consumer behaviour and policymaking frameworks, said Awaidha Murshed Al Marar, Chairman, Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE).
“We stand at a crossroads today, one that makes transition to renewables and clean energy imperative to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and the tenets of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. Abu Dhabi and the UAE take this energy transition very seriously and place it at the core of their programmes and strategies for the sector,” Al Marar said in a statement on the occasion of Abu Dhabi hosting the World Energy Congress.
”Hosting the 24th World Energy Congress in Abu Dhabi is a significant milestone that adds to the emirate’s impressive track record and cements its position as a world’s leading energy capital. The global event brings together most prominent decision and policymakers, including ministers, heads of companies, investors, researchers and industry experts. It creates momentum for us at Abu Dhabi DoE to carry on with our mission of steering the emirate’s transition towards an efficient, sustainable, and environmentally responsible system,” he added.
The Congress, he continued, is a great platform to showcase the key developments transforming all facets of our local energy landscape, from the restructuring of the sector in 2018, all the way to the launch of the Abu Dhabi Demand-Side Management and Energy Rationalisation Strategy 2030 this week.
”The demand for energy and energy technologies is on the rise, and with that in mind, we developed Abu Dhabi Integrated Energy Model, ‘Energy Cube’, which taps into advanced technological tools to test the impact of existing policies on the energy sector and the wider economy, while helping to project future scenarios for the next 10 to 30 years,” he added.
We also continue to develop a solid energy infrastructure in Abu Dhabi, and we will be pleased to share our portfolio of the world’s leading projects such as the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, Noor Abu Dhabi Solar PV Plant, Al Taweelah Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plant, Masdar Clean Energy Company, and many more during the Congress,” he said in conclusion.

Abu Dhabi to launch integrated energy management strategy
Abu Dhabi / WAM

Abu Dhabi has nine water desalination plants that produce 960 million gallons of water daily, accounting for 60 percent of the country’s daily production, according to statistics from the Department of Energy-Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi’s energy sector is also witnessing an expansion in terms of electricity produced from solar energy, which is expected to increase by 1.5 gigawatts in 2025.
The department has cooperated with its local partners to launch of the Abu Dhabi Demand-Side Management and Energy Rationalisation Strategy 2030, as part of its commitment to protect the rights of consumers, re-structure pricing and ensure transparency.
The strategy, which will be announced during the World Energy Conference 2019, includes several programmes that aim to promote energy-saving, energy efficiency and water rationalisation until 2030.

The department aims to achieve the objectives of the UAE Energy Strategy 2050 to increase the use of clean energy in the country’s energy mix to 50 percent, as well as decrease the carbon print by 70 percent, and decrease energy consumption by 40 percent.
Clean and renewable energy projects are prioritised by Abu Dhabi, which announced the commercial launch of Noor Abu Dhabi’s 1.17-gigawatt solar power plant costing AED3.2 billion, one of the largest independent solar plants in the world.
Abu Dhabi also launched the Shams 1 Solar Power Plant in 2006 with a production capacity of 100 megawatts, followed by the Masdar Plant with a capacity of 10 megawatts.

The UAE is currently completing the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant (Barakah NEP) costing $20 billion, which will add around 5.6 gigawatts. Comprising of four APR1400 nuclear reactors, construction on Barakah Unit 1 began in 2012 and was completed in 2018. Meanwhile, construction is progressing on Units 2, 3, and 4 of Barakah NEP, which has an overall completion rate of more than 93 percent.

Abu Dhabi is one of the world’s largest producers of desalinated water, accounting for up to 9 percent of total global production. It is also keen to produce drinking water and it announced the launch of the Al Taweelah Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plant, which is planned to begin operating by the end of 2022, increasing Abu Dhabi’s total desalinated water production via reverse osmosis from 13 percent to 30 percent.

Future of economies in Mideast lies in natural gas
abu dhabi / WAM

The future of Middle East economies lies in natural gas, Majid Jafar, CEO of Crescent Petroleum, told an audience of energy ministers and industry leaders gathered in Abu Dhabi for the World Energy Congress on Monday.
Jafar, who leads the Middle East’s first and largest private upstream company and serves as Board Managing Director of Dana Gas, made his comments in a special session entitled “The role of gas in the transition to a lower carbon economy in the Mena region” on day one of the four-day World Energy Congress (WEC24). The Congress is being held in the Middle East for the first time in its history.
“As countries in the region build their non-oil economies and reduce their carbon footprints, natural gas for generating electricity and fueling industry has become a central aspect to economic plans,” Jafar told the plenary session.

“For decades oil and gas producers in the region have flared gas as an unwanted byproduct of oil, or left their gas resources in the ground because they were considered of marginal value. Today, those resources have never been more important: natural gas equals electricity, which equals economic growth.”

The Special Session on natural gas also featured Tarek Al-Molla¸ Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Egypt; Yury Sentyurin, Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF); Fatema Al Nuaimi Chief Executive Officer, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) LNG; and Olivier Le Peuch Chief Executive Officer of Schlumberger Limited. Also featured were Saji Sam, Partner at Oliver Wyman Group and Gerald Schotman EVP Joint Ventures at Royal Dutch Shell.

Jafar pointed out in the session that despite the abundance of gas resources in the region and soaring demand for gas, a combination of geopolitics, lack of infrastructure, and low gas prices have hampered development. That has resulted in the ironic phenomenon of MENA countries importing LNG and other forms of gas from other parts of the world, although more than half of worldwide gas supply sits within the region’s borders, he said.

He added that MENA governments have begun to take steps to incentivise exploration and development of domestic gas resources. Jafar added that the regional private sector, including regional firms like Crescent Petroleum, is ready to fulfill its role in helping develop those resources. But that reforms were required in transparent pricing policy, upstream incentives, and the building of necessary infrastructure, in order to achieve these objectives.

“Since our start in 1971, we have leveraged our understanding of the Middle East to promote cleaner energy and social sustainability,” he said. “We are optimistic about the future of the region and its people, and see the private sector in our region as enablers who leverage our people, technology and knowhow to tackle the energy challenges for the benefit of the local economies.”

Crescent Petroleum is a sponsor of the 24th World Energy Congress, WEC24, which is the world’s largest energy event, covering all aspects and sectors of the energy agenda. The WEC, which is held every three years, is being hosted in the Middle East for the first time since its start in 1924.

More than 5,000 ministers, industry leaders and academics representing 150 countries around the world are debating the future of energy and energy policy at the event in Abu Dhabi, which has become a major global hub for energy policy discussions and meetings.