Leading French companies have pledged their support for the future energy summit to be held in Abu Dhabi next year, following a road show in France recently.

The road show outlined opportunities in the power sector in the GCC.

The World Future Energy Summit (WFES), hosted by Masdar, will be held from January 20 to 22 in Abu Dhabi.

Energy efficiency is rapidly gaining traction in France, as executives are paying increasingly more attention to their companies’ energy usage practices.

International companies are looking favourably at investing in the region as 25 GW of installed solar capacity in the GCC and 2.2 GW of installed wind power capacity in the Middle East are being considered by 2020, according to leading consultants Frost and Sullivan.

Naji El Haddad, WFES show director at Reed Exhibitions, said: “France is showing a strong commitment to energy efficiency and renewable energy to secure their industry in the future, through lighting improvements, HVAC and/or controls improvements and onsite renewable energy. In fact, France is taking a leading role within the European community in this area.”

The attendance of the French president, Francois Hollande, at the opening ceremony of this year’s World Future Energy Summit, part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, provided a boost to the French companies exhibiting at WFES 2013, as he urged greater investment in new energy and energy efficiency.

“WFES is the gateway to the Mena region for French companies in the clean energy sector,” said Jean Francois Goumy, head of energy, environment and chemical engineering at Ubifrance, the French agency for international business development.

Goumy said WFES is a vital platform that helps governments and developers find solutions to reducing energy costs.

“Energy efficiency will be a key focus on both the conference and exhibition floors at WFES 2014. The strong awareness of, and interest in, energy efficiency in Francewill encourage more French companies to display their innovations in the renewable energy sector and seek further investment opportunities,” said Mr El Haddad. - TradeArabia News Service