Power-Gen Middle East 2009, the region’s premier conference and exhibition for the power and water industries, will be held in Bahrain from February 17 to 19, 2009.

It is a key forum for senior executives and industry leaders to meet and discuss a range of topics, from the region’s energy markets, latest technologies and issues relating to power generation, transmission and distribution and water, in order to meet the challenge of the rapid growth in demand for power and water.

An excellent line up of speakers and industry professionals will deliver presentations on a range of topics and subjects covering the power and water industries with special focus on countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran and Bahrain, said the organisers.

A keynote presentation will be given by Dr Fatih Birol, chief economist of Paris-based International Energy Agency.

'The Technical Power Track' includes discussion on the very latest innovations in gas turbine design and manufacture as well as the issue of flexible operation of power plants.

The presentations include contributions from Heinrich Klotz, senior product specialist, Alstom, (Germany); Edward Wacek, business operations manager, GE Energy (US); Seyed Mahid Rafiaei, Mapna (Iran) and Gerhard Scheffer, vice president sales Siemens AG (Germany).

'The Strategic Power Track' includes a look back at a decade of sector privatization in the region and a session devoted to the changing trends in project risk allocation.

The contributors to the conference programme include Ranald Spiers, executive director, International Power (UAE); Ram Narula, vice president and chief technology officer, Bechtel Power (US) and Abdullah Al-Shaman, professor, King Saudi University.

'The Water Track' tackles the strategic and technical issues surrounding the water industry and its close relationship to the power sector.

The conference will see a range of industry professionals including Prof. Ashram Essayed Mohamed, researcher, AGS (Egypt); Robert Gerhard, product applications manager EMEA, GE (Netherlands) and David Mogollon, managing dditor Industrial WaterWorld / Water & Wastewater International, PennWell.

Power-Gen Middle East will welcome over 3,000 industry professionals, who will gather for three days to enjoy the industry’s leading conference and experience the latest developments and ideas for the future of the Middle East power and water sectors.-TradeArabia News Service