Abu Dhabi wins bid to host the 2019 World Energy Congress

23/10/2014 08:14 AST

Suhail Bin Mohammad Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, the UAE Minister of Energy and Chairman of the UAE National Committee for the World Energy Council, WEC, today confirmed that Abu Dhabi’s has won the bid to host the 2019 World Energy Congress.

Hosting the Congress in Abu Dhabi would mark the first time in the event’s 90-year history that it has been held in one of the Opec member countries. The World Energy Congress, one of the largest energy forums in the world, is held every three years. The UAE had previously announced it was bidding to hold the congress last October. Two other cities where also competing to host the event: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and St. Petersburg, Russia.

“The UAE has a strong heritage of energy leadership. We have partnered without interruption with the world’s leading energy companies to ensure reliable oil and gas supply, and we are taking the same approach in new energy sectors, both domestically and globally,” said Minister Al Mazroui said when the announcement was made last year. “We are a long-time partner of WEC, and look forward to building a platform in 2019 that drives members investment opportunities and enhances their market outlooks.”

The UAE is rapidly diversifying its energy portfolio, with 2500MW of renewable energy and 5.4GW of peaceful nuclear power under development, in addition to large-scale investments in energy efficiency, carbon mitigation, and development assistance, which in 2013 alone saw allocation of over $400 million (Dh1.5 billion) of concessional finance for fellow developing countries.

Gulf News