Dubai Aluminium Company Limited (Dubal) has signed up as the official sponsor of the debut 'Dubai Global Energy Forum (DGEF) 2011,' which opens in Dubai on Sunday.

Organised by Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, of which Dubal is a member, DGEF 2011 is the first of its kind event in Dubai which will run uptill April 19.

and is being held under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai).

The over-arching theme - “Energy Challenges and Opportunities for a Sustainable Future” - will be interpreted through discussions on the same energy-related issues that dominate the global energy agenda, notably security of supply; managing growth in energy demand; and sustainable governance in the energy sector, said a Dubal statement.

Expert opinion will also be heard on emerging regional and global issues relating to energy policies, programmes, technologies and investment opportunities; and discussions will be held on the environmental and sustainability issues affecting both the region and the world.

Key players in the sector will also share policies and best practices in oil, gas, renewable energy and the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Having a captive power plant within its 480-hectare smelter complex at Jebel Ali, with a generation capability of 2,350MW (at 30°C), Dubal is one of the UAE’s major energy stakeholders. Accordingly, two of the DGEF’s eight seminar sessions will be chaired by Dubal executives.

Tayeb Awadhi (Vice President: Power & Desalination) will chair a session entitled “Energy management opportunities in Industry” on Day 2; Abdunasser Kalban (General Manager: Power & Desalination Maintenance) will head-up a session entitled “Role of NGOs in promoting sustainable development” on Day 3.

Commenting on its growth, Awadhi said, “Conserving energy is a top priority at Dubal. We constantly innovate to identify new opportunities in this area. In recent years, this has included introducing new preventative maintenance procedures; alternative anode sizes; and new controls to anticipate and prevent anode effects.'

'We’ve also installed evaporative cooling systems on several gas turbines; replaced conventional burners with regenerative see burners in one of our furnaces; and commissioned a new combined cycle turbine. Together, these initiatives have increased the overall energy efficiency of our operations while optimizing our energy consumption levels.”

The forum will highlight the urgent need to explore alternative energy sources and devise new technologies for energy conservation, the company said.

As one of UAE’s major energy stakeholders, Dubal will share knowledge, expertise and best practices employed to ensure corporate sustainability, it added.-TradeArabia News Service