The upcoming GCC Power 2009 Conference and Exhibition will gather experts, authorities and investors to discuss the latest trends and strategies affecting the region’s power supply amidst rapid economic and population growth.

The event, which is sponsored by Saudi Electricity Company, will run from October 19 to 21 at the Riyadh Marriott Hotel in Saudi Arabia and will include CIGRE - the international council on large electric systems, a leading global organisation in the field of high voltage electricity, as one of its key organisers.

The 2009 edition of GCC Power represents the second partnership between Riyadh Exhibitions Company and GCC CIGRE to organise this high profile event.

The GCC’s power generation capacity is expected to grow by 44 per cent to surpass 1,609 terawatt hours by 2013.

Council members are consolidating their energy capabilities, with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait completing the first phase of a joint power grid for the region in July.

Although the GCC’s current installed power capacity is at around 75,000 megawatts (MW), the annual 9.5 per cent growth in demand will require more than 55,000 MW of additional power through 2015.

Saudi Arabia, in particular, has emerged as the fastest growing consumer of energy in the GCC and rest of the Middle East, with demand for electric utilities expected to increase at an average of 5 to 7 per cent annually.

The country is also expend to invest around SR450 billion ($120 billion) to generate at least 35 Gigawatts (GW) of additional power generating capacity by 2023 to 2025, which is more than double the 2005 estimate of installed capacity of 30.5 GW.

“GCC countries are expected to fund as much as SAR 187.5 billion in power projects between now and 2015,” said Fadi Kayrouz, project manager of GCC Power at Riyadh Exhibition Company.

“They will need to acquire detailed information on the technological, ecological, logistical, economic and regulatory implications of each of these critical investments to ensure power needs are met within the next decade,” he added.

“CIGRE’s participation in GCC Power 2009 will provide valuable direction on the region’s power strategies as its members pursue their respective development agendas.”

GCC Power 2009 will provide a business-to-business platform for the electricity and energy sectors to explore the world’s largest power market. It will feature two main events, namely, the 5th GCC CIGRE International Conference and the 14th Exhibition for Electrical Equipments.

The GCC CIGRE conference is held annually in different GCC countries and is considered by the Council as its most important event; Saudi Arabia was chosen this year due to its leadership in the power field.

The conference will gather around 500 international delegates and discuss more than 50 papers on electricity and energy. – TradeArabia News Service