UK-UAE bilateral trade event supported by ADNOC, the UAE Ministry of Energy and Industry, DEWA and the Department for International Trade
Abu Dhabi, UAE, April 23 2018: On 17 April in Abu Dhabi, the EIC Connect Oil, Gas & Beyond conference and exhibition brought together major Gulf energy companies with representative from over 150 UK businesses to explore how they can work together on energy projects in the Middle East.
The opening plenary session included keynote speeches from His Excellency Dr Matar Al Neyadi, Undersecretary at the UAE Ministry of Energy and Industry, His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO at the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), and the British Ambassador to the UAE Philip Parham.
ADNOC continues its long-standing support of EIC Connect Oil, Gas & Beyond, with ADNOC In Country Value (ICV) Program Manager Ali Foolathi and his team holding a briefing session on the recently unveiled ICV programme.
Foolathi explained how the scheme, which is now mandatory for all ADNOC suppliers, aims to encourage partnerships between ADNOC, international product and service providers and the UAE supply chain. It also focuses on making it easier for SMEs to work with ADNOC.
For the first time ever, ADNOC manned a specially commissioned stand in the exhibition hall, allowing delegates to speak to ADNOC representatives about the company’s upcoming projects.
Other major Middle East operators and contractors who took part in EIC Connect Oil, Gas & Beyond included BP, Dragon Oil, Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, McDermott, Petrofac, SNC-Lavalin, TechnipFMC and Wood.
As well as providing updates on their projects during the briefing sessions, the participating operators and contractors also took part in over 100 private one-to-one meetings with the UK delegates to discuss their supplier requirements, procurement procedures and how they can work together on upcoming projects in the region.
The exhibition hosted 20 of the UK’s premier energy service companies and attracted procurement specialists from energy firms from around the Middle East looking for innovative products and services which can add value to their companies’ projects and programmes.
Commenting on the event EIC CEO Stuart Broadley said, ‘After three very difficult years, it was wonderful to seeing a buzz returning to the energy sector, and for the nearly 200 British suppliers that attended this flagship EIC Connect event, they are clearly well positioned to take advantage of the bow wave of projects currently being announced in the Middle East.
‘We are seeing an equal split of upstream, midstream and downstream projects planned over the next six years globally, which is unusual, as well as continued investments in renewables and nuclear, all of which provides excellent opportunities for those UK businesses that are already well diversified across the energy space. Although Brexit may bring some uncertainty, the energy market is now starting to warm up and the EIC will do everything we can to help British businesses take advantage of opportunities all over the world.’
EIC Connect Oil, Gas & Beyond is designed to increase foreign investment in the Middle East energy sector through a day of conference sessions, briefings on regional oil and gas, power and renewables projects, private meetings and an exhibition.
Investment in the Middle East energy industry by UK businesses will generate new jobs, add value to the local supply chain and bring new technological solutions to support the region to produce more energy, safely and efficiently.
About the EIC
Established in 1943, the EIC is the leading trade association for companies working in the global energy industries. Our member companies, who supply goods and services across the oil and gas, power, nuclear and renewable sectors, have the experience and expertise that operators and contractors require.
As a not-for-profit organisation with offices in key international locations, the EIC’s role is to help members maximise commercial opportunities worldwide.
We do this in a variety of ways from providing detailed project information and regional market insight; to showcasing specialist skills and connecting suppliers with buyers; through to running tailored training courses and events that inform and engage the industry.
The services we offer play an important part in supporting over 600 member companies to do business in a competitive marketplace. To find out more about the EIC and see a full list of members, visit: www.the-eic.com
