German companies and high-ranking government officials will play a major part in the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) 2011, being held in Abu Dhabi next week.

The official German team will be led by Jost de Jager, Economic Minister of Schleswig-Holstein state.

More than 60 companies from Germany are now confirmed to take part in the event taking place from January 17-20.

Jurgen Becker , State Secretary, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany, who recently participated in the UN Climate Change Conference (COP16) in Mexico, will also be speaking at a panel discussion on Day One of the summit.

The announcement comes just weeks after the German government affirmed its commitment to giving renewable energy a central role in future energy policy with the announcement of plans to raise the share of renewable energy sources in power generation from 16 per cent today to 80 per cent by 2050. 

Leading German Financial Services Provider, Deutsche Bank Group is the Principal Sponsor of WFES 2011. Other companies confirmed to take part include Siemens, a leading global technology provider, which is Platinum Sponsor, along with the automotive company Daimler, which is the official transport partner for the event.

Klaus-Peter Brandes, German Ambassador to the UAE, said: “Germany has participated from the outset in the World Future Energy Summits at Abu Dhabi and is proud to be represented once more in 2011 as one of the key players and as major exhibitor in this prestigious international fair. I have noted with great satisfaction that Germany was chosen as focus country in 2011. There is no doubt Germany is an internationally recognized pioneer for climate protection and a trailblazer in mitigating global climate change.” – TradeArabia News Service