Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec), Shell and BP are among many leading energy companies taking part in this year’s EIC Connect Middle East event on May 17 at St. Regis Hotel and Resort on Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi.
 
The event, which has already attracted over 300 delegates from leading UK energy service companies, is designed to increase foreign investment in the Emirates’ energy sector and bilateral trade between the UAE and the UK through a day of conferences, vendor briefings, energy project updates, exhibitions and one-to-one meetings between UAE and UK energy companies.
 
The fifth EIC Connect Middle East event to take place in Abu Dhabi, organised by the Energy Industries Council (EIC), will be opened by  Ali Al Jarwan, CEO of Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company (an Adnoc subsidiary), and the UK’s Ambassador to the UAE Philip Parham.
 
The keynote speakers will provide an overview on the benefits of doing business in the Emirates and stress the importance of this event, the only one of its type in the UAE, in reinforcing the long standing business relationship between the UAE and the UK, and supporting the objective of increasing bilateral trade to £25 billion ($36 billion) by 2020.
 
Two conference sessions will take place during the day, with speakers coming from major regional operators Adnoc, Enec, Shell, BP, Kentz, Atkins, and Endress+Hauser.
 
These sessions will focus on current and future energy projects in the UAE and the Middle East, and the opportunities for UK companies to support these developments, which will help to meet the growing energy demand in the region, and add value to the local supply chain, said the statement.
 
Reflecting the increasingly diverse energy mix in the region, Enec will provide an update on the Barakah project, the Emirates’ first nuclear power station, and provide information on how UK companies can support this project to provide clean, safe and reliable energy to the country.
 
One of the key features of this event is its one-to-one sessions which bring together representatives from the major energy companies in the region, such as Adnoc and many of its subsidiaries, Enec, Amec Foster Wheeler, Petrofrac, McDermott and Flour with potential new UK partners, providing these with information and advice on registration processes and their specific project requirements.
 
EIC Connect has a dedicated UAE Landing Zone, where UK companies will receive practical advice on setting up and running a business in the UAE as well as how to find and work with local partners, generating further income and employment opportunities for the Emirates, it said.
 
The event exhibition is of great value to representatives from UAE based operators and contractors, who will be scanning the 40 exhibition stands, aware that the innovative products and expertise provided by UK companies can enable them to enhance efficiencies and maximise production, giving them an advantage in the buoyant but competitive UAE market, where low production costs mean projects are highly profitable, it added. - TradeArabia News Service