MENA DESALINATION PROJECTS

THE LARGEST DESALINATION CONFERENCE
& EXPO IN THE REGION

14 – 15 March 2023
Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers, UAE

SUPPORTING PARTNERS

PARTNERS

HEAR WHAT THE EXPERTS HAVE TO SAY

ABOUT THE EVENT

The 4th MENA Desalination Projects Forum, scheduled on 14-15 March, 2023 at Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers, United Arab Emirates, is the largest government-endorsed regional desalination conference. It will bring together over 400 regional and international stakeholders from the government, consulting, contracting and technology sectors to discuss the way forward for the region’s desalination industry, key upcoming mega projects, and national sustainability visions driving the region’s 2030 water agendas.

The Forum will feature a world-class exhibition, technical workshops and cutting-edge conference program which will look at how the region’s leaders can overcome key challenges of water scarcity, ensure sufficient water supply for their growing population, and explore latest solutions that can enable sustainable and environment-friendly water desalination. The speaker panel will include government decision makers and international industry experts who will showcase latest technologies and global best practices and share their knowledge and expertise with the participants.

EVENT IN NUMBERS

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Exhibitors & Sponsors
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Media attendees

ADVISORS 2023

Dr. Hussein El-Atfy

Secretary General, 
Arab Water Council (AWC)

Eng. Adel Yasin

Director General of Strategic Planning Directorate,
Palestinian Water Authority

Charafat Afilal

Advisor and Former Minister of Water,
Moroccan National Company of Drinking Water and Sanitation

Corrado Sommariva

Chief Executive Officer, Sustainable Water and Power Consultants (SWPC),
United Arab Emirates

Dr. Hana’a Muheisen

Head of Research and Development section,
Water Authority of Jordan

Dr. Mohamed Dawoud

Advisor for Water Resources, Environment Quality,
Abu Dhabi Environment Agency

Refaat bani Khalaf

Director, Ministry of Water,
Jordan

CHAIRMAN

Imteyaz Ahmad

Managing Director
Power and Water, Future Water and Power Consulting,
United Arab Emirates

SPEAKERS

H.E. Yousif Ahmed Al Ali

Assistant Undersecretary for Water, Electricity & Future Energy Affairs,
Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure,
United Arab Emirates

Dr. Hussein El-Atfy

Secretary General, 
Arab Water Council (AWC)
Egypt

Dr. Tarifa

Director General
International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA)
United Arab Emirates

Eng. Adel Yasin

Director General of Strategic Planning Directorate,
Palestinian Water Authority

Eng. Khaled Al Qureshi

Chief Executive Officer, Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC),
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Loay Ghazaleh

Undersecretary Advisor on Infrastructure & PPP
Bahrain Ministry of Works
Bahrain

Thomas Altmann

Executive Vice President
Innovation & New Technology
ACWA Power
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Bruce Smith

Strategy and Planning Executive Director
Emirates Water and Electricity Company
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Aftab Raza

CEO, FynValue – Energy, Utilities and Finance Consulting & Senior Advisor Regulatory Affairs at Department of Energy,
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Álvaro Solana Cruz

Regional Director
Middle East & Asia, Abengoa,
United Arab Emirates

Abdullah Bhayo

Project Director, Worley & Jacobs Construction,
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Dr. Corrado Sommariva

Chief Executive Officer, Sustainable Water and Power Consultants (SWPC),
United Arab Emirates

Dr. Hana’a Muheisen

Head of Research and Development section, Water Authority of Jordan,
Jordan

Dr. Hebah Abbas

Chief Specialist Electrical Engineer, Technical Advisor and Head of Sustainability Committee at Kuwait Water Association, Ministry of Education,
Kuwait & Kuwait Water Association, Kuwait

Imteyaz Ahmad

Managing Director
Power and Water, Future Water and Power Consulting,
United Arab Emirates

Julio De La Rosa Jurado

ME Managing Director, Acciona Agua,
United Arab Emirates

Luay Khdeir

Regional Water Market Director, Atkins Global,
United Arab Emirates

Dr. Mohamed Dawoud

Advisor for Water Resources, Environment Quality, Abu Dhabi Environment Agency,
United Arab Emirates

Refaat Bani Khalaf

Director
Water Authority of Jordan,
Jordan

Roberto Mangano

Managing Director, ILF Consulting Engineers,
United Arab Emirates

Ahmed Abd El Hady Mohamed Badr

Chief of Water and Wastewater Quality Complaints Sector in General Department for Quality and Environmental Affairs, Holding Company for Water & Wastewater (HCWW), Egypt

Abdel Moneim Mohamed Elrefai

Director of Management Ministry of Scientific Research Academy of Scientific
Egypt & Bank Misr

Nadia M. Abdel Salam Eshra

Head of Hydropower Unit
Ministry of Water Resources
Egypt & National Water Research Center

Dr. Vibha Bharadwaj

Director Environment Laboratories
Ras Al Khaimah Municipality Department
United Arab Emirates

Asam Almulla

Head Water Production & Desalination Plants
Sharjah Electricity (SEWA)
Water and Gas Authority
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

Senior Representative

from Fedco

Senior Representative

from Entegris

Senior Representative

from Energy Recovery, Inc

Senior Representative

GS Inma Environment

Senior Representative

from GS Inima
CONFERENCE & EXPO

AGENDA

Time
Activity
08:00 – 09:00Networking and Registration
09:00 – 09:05Welcome remarks from Great Minds Group – Lulu Banat, Conference Director
09:05 – 09:15Welcome note by conference chairman – Imteyaz Ahmad, Managing Director, Power and Water, Future Water and Power Consulting, United Arab Emirates 
09:15 – 09:30

Opening keynote session one – The journey of UAE’s water desalination sector and its success

Speaker:

  • H.E. Yousif Ahmed Al Ali, Undersecretary for water, electricity & future energy affairs, Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure, United Arab Emirates
09:30 – 09:45Technology showcase one:
09:45 – 10:30

Opening panel: Reshaping MENA region’s vision for water security and sustainable development with desalination

  • Looking at the long-term water opportunities to generate freshwater
  • Implementing policies to reduce the wastage of water and increasing the production of water with latest desalination technologies
  • Stressing on reduction of emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), associated with water desalination process by using renewable green energy
  • Discussing the upcoming sustainable key projects in the region and the investment plans

Panelists:

  • Eng. Khaled Al Qureshi – Chief Executive Officer, Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
  • Dr. Hussein El-Atfy – Secretary General, Arab Water Council (AWC), Egypt
  • Bruce SmithStrategy and Planning Executive Director, Emirates Water and Electricity Company, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
  • Senior Representative from Engie

Moderator:

  • Dr. Hebah Abbas – Chief Specialist Electrical Engineer, Technical Advisor and Head of Sustainability Committee at Kuwait Water Association, Ministry of Education, Kuwait & Kuwait Water Association, Kuwait 
10:30 – 10:40Industry insight one: Senior representative from Fedco
10:40 – 10:50Industry insight two: Senior representative from Entegris
10:50 – 11:30Coffee and networking break
11:30 – 11:45

Industry expert presentation one: Offering a sustainable method/solution to increase supply of potable water in the MENA countries

  • Discussing usage of smart water management systems to reduce waste from water-intensive industries
  • Working on more renewable energy powered desalination
  • Tapping on the only increasing natural resource i.e., wastewater which increase with growing population

Speaker:

  • Dr. Hebah Abbas – Chief Specialist Electrical Engineer, Technical Advisor and Head of Sustainability Committee at Kuwait Water Association, Ministry of Education, Kuwait & Kuwait Water Association, Kuwait 
11:45 – 12:30

Panel discussion two: Application of digital solutions for res-driven desalination processes for site selection, energy prediction, desalination process selection, and parameter optimization

  • Unleashing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for energy optimisation in the desalination processes for efficient production of freshwater and reduction of cost
  • Improving the desalination infra with advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) which has large number of sensors deployed on them to produce a huge and voluminous apt data
  • Building intelligent asset management systems into the processes like micro-metering, geo-spatial system (GIS), digital twin and SCADAs to integrate and organise generated data for real-time decision making
  • Liberating and democratising data and making it more accessible with 5G by connecting millions of on-premise devices

Panelists:

  • Abdullah Bhayo – Project Director, Worley & Jacobs Construction, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
  • Dr. Hana’a Muheisen – Head of Research and Development Section, Water Authority of Jordan, Jordan
  • Thomas Altmann – Executive Vice President – Innovation & New Technology, ACWA Power, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Moderator:

  • Álvaro Solana Cruz – Regional Director Middle East and Asia, Abengoa, United Arab Emirates
12:30 – 12:40Industry insight three:
12:40 – 12:50Industry insight four:
12:50 – 13:00Industry insight five: 
13:00 – 13:45

Panel discussion three: Discussing the benefits and constraints associated with desalination technologies for agriculture, industrial, and other purposes

  • Exploring new technologies that are essential to improve the availability and quality of water supplies for usage by different sectors
  • Producing water at lower energy costs, reduced labour costs and civil works
  • Emphasising on decreasing the cost by scaling up the capacity
  • Treating moving water with pre-treatment methods and technologies

Panelists:

  • Dr. Mohamed Dawoud – Advisor for Water Resources, Environment Quality, Abu Dhabi Environment Agency, United Arab Emirates
  • Dr. Tarifa – Director General, International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), United Arab Emirates
  • Eng. Adel Yasin – Director General of Strategic Planning Directorate, Palestinian Water Authority, Palestine

Moderator:

  • Corrado Sommariva – Chief Executive Officer, Sustainable Water and Power Consultants (SWPC), United Arab Emirates
13:45 – 14:00

Industry expert presentation two: Updates on the development of EWEC water expansion plans across the emirate
Speaker:

  • Bruce Smith, Strategy and Planning Executive Director, Emirates Water and Electricity Company, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
14:00 – 14:10Closing remarks by conference chairman
14:15Lunch break and end of conference day one 
Time
Activity
08:00 – 09:00Networking and registration
09:00 – 09:15Review of day one by conference chairman – Imteyaz Ahmad, Managing Director, Power and Water, Future Water and Power Consulting, United Arab Emirates
09:15 – 09:30Opening keynote session two: Eng. Khaled Al Qureshi, Chief Executive Officer, Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
09:30 – 09:45Technology showcase one:
09:45 – 10:30

Fireside chat: Driving towards a sustainable desalination strategy for water scarce economies

  • Role of desalination in an increasingly water scarce economy for long term freshwater supply
  • Controlling the negative environmental impacts like CO2 and greenhouse emissions
  • Discussing new and smart technology that will help in reducing the high-cost processes involved

Speakers:

  • Imteyaz Ahmad – Managing Director – Power and Water, Future Water and Power Consulting, United Arab Emirates
10:30 – 10:40Industry insight one: Senior representatives from Energy Recovery, Inc
10:40 – 10:50Industry insight two: Senior representatives from GS Inma Environment
10:50 – 11:30Coffee and networking break
11:30 – 11:45Industry expert project presentation three: Developments in the Egypt region on water projects
Speaker:
  • Ahmed Abd El Hady Mohamed Badr – Chief of Water and Wastewater Quality Complaints Sector in General Department for Quality and Environmental Affairs, Holding Company for Water & Wastewater (HCWW), Egypt
11:45 – 12:30

Panel discussion four: Market drivers for increased adoption of desalination technologies in the non-conventional water resources category

  • Discussing the alternative desalination technology like solvent extraction method, capacitive deionization of saltwater
  • Exploring the increase in the investments of solar energy sector for effective cost reduction
  • Growing interest in hydroponic agriculture to drive adoption of desalination
  • Lowering of oxygen content in water

Panelist:

  • Abdel Moneim Mohamed Elrefai – Director of Management Ministry of Scientific Research Academy of scientific, Egypt & Bank Misr
  • Refaat Bani Khalaf – Director, Water Authority of Jordan, Jordan
  • Senior Representative from GS Inima

Moderator:

  • Julio De La Rosa Jurado – ME Managing Director, Acciona Agua, United Arab Emirates
12:30 – 12:40Industry insight three:
12:40 – 12:50Industry insight four:
12:50 – 13:00Industry insight five:
13:00 – 13:45

Closing panel: Discussing next wave of growth opportunities in the field of desalination

  • Driving adoption of desalination due to growing interest of hydroponic agriculture in the MENA region
  • Steering wind energy-based desalination due to developments in renewable energy storage
  • Reviewing the emerging desalination technologies in the field of financial solutions and investments

Panelist:

  • Roberto Mangano – Managing Director, ILF Consulting Engineers, United Arab Emirates
  • Nadia M. Abdel Salam Eshra – Head of Hydropower Unit, Ministry of Water Resources, Egypt & National Water Research Center, Egypt
  • Aftab Raza – CEO, FynValue – Energy, Utilities and Finance Consulting and Senior Advisor Regulatory Affairs at Department of Energy, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Moderator:

  • Luay Khdeir – Regional Water Market Director, Atkins Global, United Arab Emirates
13:45 – 14:00

Industry expert presentation four: Financial and legal feasibility of a desalination project

  • Learning financing of desalination projects under the legal framework of the region
  • Exploring procurement and risk allocation solutions under the expert guidance of the local authorities
  • Discussing risks associated with the development and management of desalination infrastructure

Speaker:

  • Corrado Sommariva – Chief Executive Officer, Sustainable Water and Power Consultants (SWPC), United Arab Emirates 
14:00 – 14:10Closing Remarks by Conference Chairman
14:15Lunch Break and End of Conference Day Two
WHO

ATTENDED IN 2022

Participants that attended the 3rd MENA Desalination Projects

WHY GET INVOLVED

Get in front of
your target market

Get access to key stakeholders involved with ongoing and upcoming water projects in their respective countries

Gain project
insights

Get first-hand details on timelines and requirements of current desalination projects from across the region and spot opportunities

Raise your
brand awareness

Opportunity to position your brand as one of the leading desalination service providers to help stakeholders and project owners overcome the key issues in water management

Increase your competitiveness

Learn about the latest challenges faced by the region’s water management authorities and identify how you can provide them with customized solutions to help overcome these challenges

Generate strong
leads

Learn about desalination requirements of the top entities across the MENA region and influence decision makers to stand a chance of being shortlisted for their upcoming projects in their regions

2023 SPONSORS

SPONSORS

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Associate Sponsor

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Official Disinfection Partner

Official Plastic Pipe Partner

Official Plastic Pipe Partner

Strategic Partner

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Project Intelligence Partner

Media PARTNERS

PARTNERS
2023

Partnership Opportunities

We are looking for seawater intake and outfall systems, reverse osmosis & membranes, filtration, energy efficiency/energy consumption, chemicals/water additives, pre-treatment systems & post-treatment system, services to reduce capex/opex, boilers (groundwater, hazard, & risk) that can contribute to the desalination plants requirements in the Middle East. If you believe you have what we are looking for, please contact us at partnerships@gmevents.ae or call +971 4 568 7800

Floor Plan

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REGISTER FOR 2023

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