The largest and most successful edition of Middle East Electricity ended on Thursday, with optimism high within the region?s power sector following a host of new product launches and a record number of visitors at the show
The 39th edition of the exhibition, which covers 12 halls and more than 50,000sqm of exhibition space, has attracted thousands of exhibitors from across the global power industry.
At the MEE Awards, which took place on the first night of the exhibition, H.E. Abdulla Saif Al Nuaimi, Advisor, Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA), was named ?Power Personality of the Year?. Dubai Municipality Director General H.E. Hussain Nasser Lootah was awarded ?Green Champion of the Year? for his contribution to a host of green initiatives within the emirate.
More than 1,000 people attended the awards ceremony, with other winners on the night including Altaaqa Global Cat Rental Power, who took home the ?Power Project of the Year Award? for its role in the installation of a 54 MW power plant in Aden, Yemen. Ahmad Matar Khalifa Alsuwaidi from Dubai Aluminium was named ?Young Engineer of the Year?, while the ?Lighting Project of the Year? went to the Abu Dhabi Department of Transport for the Ras Al Akhdar Bainoonah street lighting project.
In the ?Solar Project of the Year? category, First Solar beat the rest of the field for Phase 1 of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park project.
The winners were selected by an independent jury of industry experts who cast their eyes over the efforts of 25 shortlisted entries from across eight categories.
Anita Mathews, Director of Informa Energy Group, organisers of Middle East Electricity, said, ?The judges were very impressed with the wide range of entries this year. The scope of work presented for critique was diverse, thought-provoking and is a testament to the health of the industry, as well as the growth we can expect to see in the coming years.?
Both 2014 editions of Solar Middle East and Middle East Electricity have proven to be a hit with visitors and exhibitors alike, including Raed Refat Al-Khalidi, General Manager of Jordanian firm Al Kabas Electric & Trading Company, who remarked, ?This is my first visit to the exhibition and I hope it won?t be my last. The exhibition is really big, covering almost all sectors of the industry and providing us with good contacts and information.?
Meanwhile, Mohamed Abu-Dagga, Showroom Manager for Saudi Arabian company Adwaa Al-Jazeerah Trading Est, visiting the exhibition for the first time this week, said, ?What a great show, I didn?t expect it to be so large and I?ll be returning next year for sure.?
Middle East Electricity returns next year, taking place from 2-5 March 2015 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
