Arab Union of Electricity conference starts Sunday

Organised by the Arab Union of Electricity every three years, the 2022 conference is being held in co-operation with the Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa) at the Sheraton Doha.It will discuss challenges, innovations, and areas of co-operation and strengthening of partnerships.The conference, which runs until March 22, will be opened by HE the Minister of State for Energy Affairs Saad bin Sherida al-Kaabi and Kahramaa president Essa bin Hilal al-Kuwari, who is also the chairman of the conference’s supreme organising committee.Dr Abdullah Mohsen al-Wahidi, director of Shared Services Affairs at Kahramaa and chairman of the organising committee, said that the conference is the largest Arab gathering to discuss issues and challenges facing the electricity sector in the Arab region while exploring prospects for Arab co-operation and joint action.“The conference is an occasion for acquiring knowledge and sharing experiences through pioneering scientific research and dialogue sessions that bring together the most prominent Arab, regional and international governmental and non-governmental bodies concerned,” he said.Arab ministerial delegations, headed by ministers and senior officials, will take part.Accompanying the conference, the 14th session of the Arab Ministerial Council of Electricity and the 37th meeting of the Executive Office of the Arab Ministerial Council of Electricity will be held, in addition to the meeting of the Board of Directors of the Arab Electricity Union and the meeting of the General Assembly of the Arab Electricity Union.There will be also an exhibition that will be attended by representatives of prominent companies and authorities concerned in the electricity sector of the Arab world, giving visitors an opportunity to know about the latest trends and innovations.It will highlight the electrical equipment and supplies used in the production, transmission, and distribution of electricity in the Arab countries.The exhibition aims to develop and introduce this industry as part of the continuous efforts to support and encourage the local electrical industries and develop their businesses.“This edition of the conference comes at a time when the economic and environmental challenges facing the electric power sector in the Arab world,” al-Wahidi said. “This requires decision-makers and specialists in this vital sector to work on developing electrical power systems in their countries to meet the needs of the population and different economic sectors.”Arab League Energy Department director Jamila Matar said that the Arab common market for electricity is among the agenda of the conference.“The idea of the common market reflects a long process that began in 2001, and the transition towards green energy was recently included on the agenda of the Arab Ministerial Council for Electricity,” she said, adding that this market is based on solid institutional framework with complete infrastructure that takes into account the technical aspects to achieve market integration.“Also, it needs a legislative framework based on the adoption of four basic documents for the governance of the electricity market, which are the memorandum of understanding, the general agreement, the market agreement, and network operating rules,” she added.