United Arab Emirates (UAE): Water Industry Roundtable

Explore Opportunities in the UAE for Water Resources & Equipment

The UAE has grown very wealthy on its oil but knows an "oil-only" economy will be over in the not-to-distant future. Oil is a finite resource, and the economic costs will become more acute as countries make policy changes to other forms of energy.

Additionally, the World Bank recently launched its "Thirsty Energy" initiative to explore how governments can enhance integrated waste-energy planning.  The world's energy & water systems are linked - huge amounts of water are needed in almost all energy-generating processes; and the water sector needs energy to extract, treat, and transport water. 

The UAE currently has one of the highest levels of per capita electricity use in the world, and 98% of the country's water must go through the desalination process (which uses a lot of oil).  In addition to using 32 million gallons of desalinated water a day, it also loses about 30% of that water due to outdated systems and faulty infrastructure.  Other environmental factors include desertification & beach pollution from oil spills.

Current initiatives underway include new building codes incorporating sustainable construction requirements in water & energy consumption; and a goal to increase renewable energy production to 5% by 2030.

About Our Speaker:

 George Messiha
 Commercial Specialist
 U.S. Commercial Service—Abu Dhabi
 U.S. Department of Commerce

George Messiha is a Commercial Specialist for the U.S. Commercial Service office in Abu Dhabi, UAE.  Among his numerous industry portfolios, George manages the "water resources equipment & services" industry sector and works to help U.S. companies compete & win in the United Arab Emirates.