Organisers of Middle East Energy’s (MEE) debut virtual event have revealed that more than 164 countries took part in the month-long showcase, which featured four online energy sector weeks, between May 17 and June 9.

The online event attracted 11,000 attendees  and focused on the latest insights, trends, and innovations across four energy industry sectors, including Renewable and Clean Energy, Transmission and Distribution, Critical and Backup Power, and Energy Consumption and Management.

During the event, 85 sessions, including tech talks, interactive roundtables, panel discussions, thought leadership sessions and remote interviews, took place. Underscoring the importance of business development and making meaningful contacts, over 7,300 connections were made by 164 exhibiting companies.

Claudia Konieczna, Exhibition Director, Middle East Energy, said: “The outcome of the event has supported our strategy to take Middle East Energy online and deliver a virtual showcase for the energy industry. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, we have been able to bring the global energy industry together. A series of insightful and thought-provoking discussions have been instrumental in supporting the sector’s recovery and providing a roadmap for the future.

“During the four sector weeks, we heard from a series of industry heavyweights discussing everything from the adoption of clean hydrogen to automation and digital solutions in transmission and distribution. Energy access to all and the importance of green buildings and smart cities were also highlighted, giving the event broad appeal among those in the energy industry.”

The highlight of the opening day was the welcome speech by Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, who reiterated the UAE’s commitment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 70 per cent and increase clean energy use by 50 per cent by 2050.

Elsewhere on day one, Eng. Yousif Al Ali, Assistant Undersecretary – Electricity, Water and Future Energy Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, highlighted the UAE’s position to become to be one of the top producers of hydrogen in the world.

During week two, Transmission & Distribution took centre stage with discussions focused on automation, digital solutions, and artificial intelligence, with reliable generation integral to driving economic recovery post-Covid-19.

The third sector week, Critical and Backup Power, saw a presentation from David Lecoque, CEO, Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE), who highlighted the need to provide electricity to 870 million people who currently don’t have access and better access to the 1.5 billion suffering from unreliable service.

Rounding out the sector weeks was Energy Consumption and Management, where a panel of energy industry experts underscored the importance of green buildings and smart cities in reducing energy consumption. Exhibitors included Perkins, Masdar, Cummins, Brady, Koncar, Aveava, Cesi, HitachiABB, IFS, Riedon, Uniper and BASEC.