Kahramaa chief for joint efforts to tackle climate challenges

Essabin Hilal al-Kuwari, president of Qatar General Electricity & WaterCorporation (Kahramaa), and vice chair of Board of Trustees of Hamad BinKhalifa University (HBKU), participated in the opening day of theInternational Conference on Sustainable Energy Water and EnvironmentNexus in Desert Climates 2019 (ICSEWEN’19) yesterday.ICSEWEN’19 isthe flagship conference of Qatar Environment and Energy ResearchInstitute (Qeeri), part of HBKU. The conference is being held at theQatar National Convention Centre until tomorrow.Other dignitarieswho participated in the ceremony included Dr Ahmad M Hasnah, president,HBKU; Alistair Routledge, president and general manager of ExxonMobilQatar; Luca Sutera, chief financial officer, Nebras Power; Dr RichardO’Kennedy, vice president, Research, Development and Innovation at QatarFoundation and vice president for Research at HBKU; Dr Mariamal-Maadeed, vice president for Research and Graduate Studies at QatarUniversity and Dr Marc Vermeersch, executive director, Qeeri. Commentingon the conference, al-Kuwari said, “The energy-water-environment nexusis associated with human, economic, and environmental sustainability.This connection is becoming more pronounced with climate change. Theunderstanding of the difficulties of these complex relationships isnecessary to balance the needs of diverse stakeholders, policydecisions, and to protect valuable resources.“This conferenceprovides a platform for collaboration between our guests from around theworld to share ideas and to intensify our combined efforts indeveloping tangible solutions that positively impact our communities.”DrVermeersch said, “The conference is an important milestone towardsQeeri’s objectives of being recognised as a key player in the local,regional, and international arenas. Qeeri’s efforts to align withQatar’s National Research Strategy and become a reference centre in thefields of energy, environment and water research and technologydevelopment are important for the country’s industries. ICSEWEN’19 is aknowledge platform that seeks to bridge the gap between research andpublic and private sectors, and we look forward to seeing it unfold overthe next two days.”Routledge delivered keynote address on‘Technology for Sustainable Energy’, while Sutera spoke on the topic of‘Global Energy Transition’, and Dr al-Maadeed on ‘Industry 4.0 and theEnergy-Water-Environment nexus’. Meshaal al-Shamari, vice chair of MenaRegional Network, World Green Building Council, and director of QatarGreen Building Council explored the ‘Social Impact of SocialDevelopment’ with Dr Vermeersch highlighting the work being carried outat Qeeri. Dr O’Kennedy moderated a panel discussion on‘Opportunities and Challenges within EWE the nexus’ with theparticipation of Fahad bin Hamad al-Mohannadi, managing director andgeneral manager, Qatar Electricity & Water Co; Dr Abdul Sattaral-Taie, executive director, Qatar National Research Fund; Amit Singh,managing director, Schlumberger; and Dr Huda al-Sulaiti, Qeeri.“Throughthis conference, we aim to exchange ideas, share knowledge, and provideupdates on our technology development status, and learn from leadingexperts around the globe. The challenges that Qatar and other hot aridregions face are unique, and we hope to explore potential solutions forrelevant issues in the implementation of research in the area of energy,water and environment,” Dr Veronica Bermudez, senior research directorof Qeeri’s Energy Centre and the chair of ICSEWEN’19, added.