8 March 2011
The culture of conservation, smart technology and green buildings within the activities of the exhibition The activities of the 13th Water, Energy, & Environment Exhibition 2011 (WETEX) being held from 8 to 10 March at Zabeel Hall and Halls 1 and 2 at Dubai International Convention Centre, kicked off today. His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance and President of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) inaugurated the exhibition in the presence of top figures and officials in Dubai. The opening ceremony was attended by HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai’s Supreme Council of Energy, HE Ahmed Humaid Al Tayer, Governor of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), HE Matar Humaid Al Tayer, Chairman of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, HE Matar Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman & CEO of Road & Transport Authority, HE Saeed Mohammed Al Kindi, Chairman of Lease Committee - Dubai Municipality, HE Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director General of Dubai Municipality, HE Hilal Al Marri, Executive director of Dubai International Convention Centre, HE Abdullah Al Karam, Director General of Knowledge and Human Development Authority, HE Ali Rashid Lootah, Chairman of Nakheel, HE Fahd Hamad Al Mohannadi, Director General of Qatar Electricity & Water Company, as well as senior officials of Dubai Departments, senior DEWA staff and representatives of big companies. After opening ceremony, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, accompanied by HE Matar Humaid Al Tayer, Chairman of DEWA, and HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer MD & CEO of DEWA and top officials of DEWA made a tour all over the Exhibition to look at the displays, exhibits and equipment shown by different participating authorities from 25 countries all over the world. HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum listened to a presentation by HE Saeed Al Tayer on the Exhibition, DEWA’s projects and achievements through the year 2010. On this occasion, HE Al Tayer stated: “This occasion also coincides with DEWA’s celebrations of its 50th Anniversary – Golden Jubilee. Also, this year’s edition of the Exhibition is characterized by the continuation of the country’s blessed march towards development. It gives due attention to projects compatible with the environment through a special platform dedicated for promoting the concept of green buildings which aim to conserve the consumption of energy and water via designs and eco-friendly materials.” Within the context, Smartech Exhibition, which is regarded as the first gathering of its kind in the region, will be also held during WETEX 2011. Smartech aims to promote communications between business sector and customers through showcasing technologies which can provide energy supporting the concept of products and eco-friendly services,” HE Al Tayer further added. The Dubai Global Energy Forum (DGEF), which will be held from 17 to 19 of April 2011, will participate in the Exhibition with its own pavilion, for the first time. This is a good opportunity for the DGEF to be introduced as a platform to exchange expertise and the best practices concerning energy demand management and its diversification to include a peaceful nuclear technology, clean coal and the challenges that the energy sector faces as well as the opportunities for a sustainable future. HE Al Tayer hailed the great participation in the exhibition, which reflects the high position of the United Arab Emirates in general and the great position of Dubai as a centre for finance and business and a destination for different activities. HE also said that this Exhibition being hosted by Dubai is an important annual event to be added to the great world economic and business events hosted by Dubai all the year round. “This year’s session is characterized by the wide participation of ministries, government departments and organizations, municipalities, national and international companies and organizations, and public interest organizations concerned with the water, energy and environment issues. HE Al Tayer hailed the participation of many countries all over the world including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Hashemite kingdom, Morocco, USA, Australia, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Bosnia, Croatia,, France, Switzerland, Norway, Poland, Spain, Malaysia, Turkey, china, Taiwan, Japan, India, Sri Lanka. The number of the sponsors has increased from 11 last year to become 19 this year. This is an indication of the success of the exhibition as one of the specialized exhibitions in the fields of water, energy and environment not only in the region but also al the international level. He Al Tayer also pointed out the importance of the displays and the issues tackled by this Exhibition which are all related to the march of sustainable development in all the different sectors. Throughout its march to serve national economy, DEWA has promoted and circulated the Exhibition in different countries of the world, and it got a good response. It has also succeeded in attracting wide range of participations due to the facilities given, in a way to help those participants to put forth their ideas and showcase their products. Big local and international companies will showcase their best solutions and products including agricultural equipment as well as desalination systems and modern systems of irrigation, water pumping equipment, boilers, cables, electric transformers, conductors, energy saving products, pipes, valves, generators, energy and water distributing equipment, etc. This year’s participants exceeded 715 organizations from 25 countries from all over the world compared with 500 ones last year. Also the number of the international pavilions reached 8. HE Al Tayer called on specialists in the field to attend the symposia and lectures related to the topics of electricity, water and energy as well as the worldwide developments in these fields. The visitors, engineers, technicians at different government sectors will be briefed on modern technologies and developments. During the Exhibition, there will be raffle draws events for visitors, as three winners among the visitors will be given the opportunity to participate in the draw and win some electronic prizes such as iPad, Laptop, Blackberry. Besides, there will be daily raffle draws on the names of the visitors and participants in the symposia and lectures being held as part of the Exhibition. Also, there will be the e-competition where three of the participants via the website: www.wetex.ae, will be chosen.