تحت رعاية سمو الشيخ خالد بن محمد بن زايد آل نهيان ولي عهد أبوظبي رئيس المجلس التنفيذي لإمارة أبوظبي

UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF HIS HIGHNESS SHEIKH KHALED BIN MOHAMED BIN ZAYED AL NAHYAN CROWN PRINCE OF ABU DHABI AND CHAIRMAN OF THE ABU DHABI EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

Energy transition and digital transformation are the key drivers in the water and power sector, shaping the future of the industry, highlighting a clear direction for success and opening doors to new industry players.

The Technical Conference offers utilities industry professionals unprecedented access to the latest industry knowledge and research findings, technical expertise, new project developments, state of the art technologies and industry best practices.

Spanning the entire power and water value chain, the World Utilities Congress 2024 Technical Conference has been created after a thorough two-stage review by the Technical Committee, comprising 53 industry specialists. The conference features 100 industry experts speaking at 24 sessions across three days and covers power generation, transmission and distribution, water management, water sewage, district cooling and customer engagement.

Book your delegate seat today and gain technical insights from 100+ expert speakers across 24 impactful sessions. 

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EXPERT SPEAKERS

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TECHNICAL SESSIONS

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TECHNICAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS

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TECHNICAL CATEGORIES

EXPLORE THE 12 TECHNICAL CATEGORIES

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1. POWER GENERATION
  • Advancements in photovoltaic (PV) panels, organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs), concentrator photovoltaics (CPV) systems, product integrated photovoltaics (PIPVs), floatovoltaics
  • Concentrated solar power technologies, power tower systems
  • Advancements in solar trackers, inverters, and hybrid solar systems
  • Using solar energy to power desalination plants
  • Wind power generation
  • Advancements in wind turbines and electric generators
  • Developments in plant operation and maintenance, ageing management programmes (AMPs)
  • Developments in nuclear reactors and nuclear fuels, SMRs
  • Engineering, procurement, and construction of nuclear plants
  • Advancements in R&D in nuclear sector
  • Storage & supply chain capabilities
  • Radioactive waste management
  • Decommissioning and disposal, effective solutions for long-term nuclear waste disposal
  • Ensuring power plant safety, protecting reactors from natural disasters and external accidents
  • Policies and regulations
  • Finance and Investments
  • Project showcases
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3. WATER DESALINATION
  • Water pretreatment
  • Reverse osmosis technologies, solar distillation, electrodialysis, nanofiltration, ultrafiltration, microfiltration
  • Post-treatment remineralisation
  • Storage & brine management
  • Seawater desalination
  • Optimum utilisation of post desalination recovery metals
  • Chemicals for water treatment
  • Low-carbon desalination
  • Advancements in membranes, pumps, pipes, valves, and other equipment
  • Advancements in multistage flash evaporation (MSF) methods and technologies
  • Developments in multiple effect distillation (MED) methods and technologies
  • Successful integration of various water desalination techniques
  • Cost-effective strategies for water quality improvement
  • Water post-treatment methods
  • Water-energy-food nexus
  • Project showcases
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5. WASTEWATER RECYCLING, REUSING OR RECLAIMING
  • Construction of wastewater treatment plants
  • Decentralised wastewater systems
  • Waste to energy
  • Sanitary engineering, advancements in equipment and technologies
  • Wastewater filtration systems and technology
  • Optimisation of wastewater collection
  • Advancements in wastewater treatment methods
  • Usage of recycled wastewater
  • Safe disposal of treated wastewater, sludge management
  • Policies and regulations related to wastewater treatment
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7. DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
  • Digital twin, Industrial Internet of Things (IoT), connected performance
  • Climate digital technologies
  • Cyber, Information security & data privacy
  • Drones deployment and 5G
  • AI and data analytics in Utilities
  • Robotics, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality
  • Blockchain, Metaverse, cloud computing, enterprise mobility solutions
  • Network optimisation, IT & OT convergence
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9. POWER TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION & STORAGE
  • Smart grid distribution management, grid balancing, ensuring load management flexibility, load shed strategies, integration of renewable energy into the grid, microgrids
  • Substation automation technologies
  • HVDC and FACTS technologies
  • Off-grid renewable power generation supply
  • Smart power and water grid network management, ensuring data interoperability, SCADA
  • integration, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), systems scalability
  • Developing wireless communication infrastructure, M2M communication, sensors
  • Wired communication, advancements in cabling solutions and transmission lines
  • Strategies to ensure economic, secure, and stable power and water supply
  • Lithium-ion batteries in the grid storage market
  • Alternative battery solutions - flow batteries, zinc batteries, lithium-sulphur batteries, sodium ion batteries, liquid metal batteries
  • Storage implementation strategies, deriving utmost value from storage solutions
  • Grid modernisation
  • Advancements in smart grid technologies & grid security
  • Substation automation, remote intelligent switch, battery storage
  • Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs), grid stability, advanced meters, re-routing power
  • Solid-state transformers and power flow controllers, adaptive networks
  • Advancements in backup power, UPS systems, generators, and automated solutions
  • Industrial power supply
  • Tackling commercial and residential power outages
  • Power backups
  • Sustainability efforts in backup power generation
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11. HEALTH, SAFETY & SECURITY ACROSS THE UTILITIES INDUSTRY
  • Occupational safety
  • Safety culture and safety management systems, security systems, human factors, and performance
  • Role of leadership within health and safety
  • Process safety
  • Mental health and wellbeing, occupational health
  • Innovation and digital technologies to improve health and safety, wearable technology
  • Protecting power and water assets against natural disasters and unwanted intrusions; storm damage assessment and restoration; vegetation management; wildfire mitigation
  • Ensuring fire safety, explosion protection
  • Contingency plans, emergency preparedness and response, crisis management
  • Assessing, managing, and mitigating safety and security risks
  • The role of partnerships and regional cooperation in ensuring safety and security
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2. ALTERNATIVE FUELS
  • Advances in hydrogen production
  • Advances in methanol and ammonia production
  • Auto-Thermal Reforming (ATR)
  • Coal and oil gasification to hydrogen
  • Methane pyrolysis
  • Hydrogen infrastructure, upgrading gas infrastructure for the use of hydrogen
  • Technology for storage, liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs)
  • Strategies to scale up hydrogen production and usage
  • Hydrogen and ammonia applications and uses in the utilities sector
  • Export of hydrogen and ammonia
  • Thermal hydrogen production from nuclear
  • Advancements in biomass production
  • Bio-chemicals & biomaterials
  • Biofuels technology innovations: BECCUS, waste-to-energy
  • Bio-hubs: processing, storage, and transportation of biofuels
  • Industrial Biofuels Development
  • Agro-biomass as feedstock for power generation
  • Biomass feedstocks in bio-methanol and rDME production
  • Finance, investment & policy governance
  • Project showcases
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4. WATER MANAGEMENT, SUPPLY AND DISTRIBUTION NETWORK
  • Integrated water resources management
  • Hydrology and water resources
  • Watershed management and protection
  • Water use efficiency and optimisation
  • Efficient solutions in district cooling
  • Water demands for energy generation and vice-versa
  • Modern Irrigation Technologies (Smart irrigation, precision agriculture, etc.)
  • Water-energy-food nexus in irrigation
  • Sustainable land and water management practices
  • Water infrastructure, engineering & policy
  • Water and network security
  • Climate change and resilience
  • Water conservation and efficiency
  • Finance and Investment
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6. DISTRICT COOLING
  • Designing, owning, building, and operating district cooling plants
  • Advancements in refrigerants, heat rejection methods and dehumidifying technologies; energy transfer systems
  • Developments in meters, valves, and pumps
  • New materials used in district cooling, the use of nanomaterials
  • Integrating the alignment of analytics platform to existing building automation system (BAS), incorporating of variable frequency drives (VFDs)
  • Leak detection: distributed temperature sensing (DTS) fibre optic cables, multimode leak detectors
  • Adiabatic cooling & technology
  • Optimising district cooling water and energy supplies
  • Cooling grid management, energy storage, integration of renewable energy
  • Distribution network
  • Improving energy efficiency, advancements in technologies and R&D
  • Preventative maintenance and operational excellence
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8. SMART CITIES & COMMUNITIES
  • Data space for smart communities
  • Smart Meters, sensors, data mining, solar instrumentation, and user engagement
  • Scaling e-mobility solutions
  • Sustainable smart infrastructure solutions
  • Battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs)
  • EV supply equipment, 3D printing, micromobility
  • Electric mobility as a service
  • EV to grids, buildings, houses, other energy consuming destinations
  • Smart heating and cooling systems, air quality monitors, weather sensors
  • Reducing carbon emissions with sustainable transportation
  • Electrotechnical systems, equipment and applications used to build and maintain smart cities and green buildings
  • New energy systems - small-scale Combined Heat and Power (CHP) with heat storage, PV-driven heat pumps, bio-methane
  • Integration of renewable energy and energy efficient intelligent building technologies
  • Developments in transparent solar panels
  • Customer engagement
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10. ENERGY TRANSITION, DECARBONISATION, ESG & SUSTAINABILITY
  • Decarbonisation and carbon capture solutions in the utilities industry
  • CO2 emission reduction, utilization, carbon credit, and carbon market (supply and demand)
  • Power plant emission and pollution control systems, reducing carbon footprint
  • Management of brine discharge and sludge disposal
  • Circular Economy: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Renew
  • UN sustainable development goals
  • Biodiversity and ecosystem conservation
  • Decarbonisation and energy transition, energy mix, clean energy business models
  • Carbon credits
  • Tackling land and water contamination
  • Environmental impact assessment (EIA)
  • Sustainable procurement
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12. OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
  • Improving utilisation of resources
  • Intelligent automation and the role of technology to achieve operational excellence
  • Resilient workforce technologies and strategies
  • Business process and re-engineering
  • Operations excellence 4.0: challenges, innovative solutions, and best practices
  • Improving asset integrity
  • Challenges, technologies, and innovative practices
  • Energy optimisation and transition
  • Cost optimisation
  • Advancements in asset maintenance strategies, managing asset life extension, improving reliability
  • Six sigma methods and applications
  • Intelligent automation and technology’s role to achieve operational excellence
  • Lean operations
  • Autonomous and remote operations
  • Maintenance 4.0 challenges, technologies, and innovative practices
  • Asset performance 4.0 and facility management
  • Improving operating efficiency
  • People development and mobilisation
  • Workforce of the future

2024 TECHNICAL COMMITTEE

GAIN CPD ACCREDITATION

The World Utilities Congress Technical Conference has been accredited by the CPD Certification Service, which provides recognised independent CPD accreditation compatible with global CPD requirements for energy professionals. Additional benefits include:

  • Engaging in Continuing Professional Development ensures that your professional qualifications do not become outdated or obsolete.
  • Earning CPD points allows you to 'up skill' or 're-skill' yourself, thereby complementing your career aspirations.
  • CPD accredited programs, such as the World Utilities Congress Technical Conference, enable you to identify knowledge gaps and gain insights into the latest developments, showing a clear commitment to self-development and professionalism.
  • Receive your CPD accreditation certificate after the World Utilities Congress Technical Conference.
  • 1 CPD point is equivalent to 1 CPD hour. Each 30-minute session counts as 0.5 CPD hour (12.5 hours max can be claimed.)

TECHNICAL CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

Monday 16 September 2024

Tuesday 17 September 2024

Wednesday 18 September 2024

10:00 - 11:30 location Capital Suite 8
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Session 1: Smart Grids - Enhancing Resilience And Efficiency

CHAIRS:

Eng. Doreb Ebrahim

Eng. Doreb Ebrahim CEO Enertech Middleast FZ LLC

Rui De Sousa

Rui De Sousa Principal, Industry & Value Advisor, Middle East & Africa South SAP

10:00 - 10:20

Voltage regulating distribution transformers as the new standard in public grids for economically integrating renewable energy and new loads at distribution level

Waqas Hussain

Waqas Hussain Business Development Manager Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen, United Arab Emirates

10:20 - 10:40

An AMI solution developed and operated by a DSO, to unlock the full potential of smart meters

Fabian Nilsson

Fabian Nilsson Commercial Director EDF IN, France

10:40 - 11:00

Advancing grid stability and efficiency: an extensive examination of the Volt-VAR Management System (VVMS)

Ayşegül Kutlay

Ayşegül Kutlay Vice President inavitas

10:00 - 11:30 location Capital Suite 9
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Session 2: Exploring New Energy Systems

CHAIRS:

Dr. Corrado Sommariva

Dr. Corrado Sommariva CEO Sustainable Water & Power Consultants (SWPC)

Malik Benameur

Malik Benameur Head of Energy & Smart Solutions Dalkia Middle East, Saudi Arabia

10:00 - 10:20

Beyond surface: exploring KSA's geothermal opportunities and challenges

Mohamed A. AlEmam

Mohamed A. AlEmam Manager, Business Development EDF, Saudi Arabia

10:20 - 10:40

PV recycling and solar waste management in Dubai

Krishiv Gandhi

Krishiv Gandhi Researcher - Energy Systems DEWA, United Arab Emirates

10:40 - 11:00

Evaluating grid technologies for utility net-zero

Abhishek Kar

Abhishek Kar Head- Strategy & Sustainability Siemens, United Arab Emirates

11:00 - 11:20

The H2 battery by water stuff - paving the way for a quantum leap in the hydrogen eco-system

Lukas Kalt

Lukas Kalt Head of Development Water stuff & sun GmbH, Germany

11:30 - 13:10 location Capital Suite 8
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Session 3: Advancements In Power Generation R&D

CHAIRS:

Dr. Yacine Addad

Dr. Yacine Addad Deputy Director, Emirates Nuclear Technology Center, Associate Professor, Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering Khalifa University

Milton Dasgupta

Milton Dasgupta Project Manager - Energy Business Wartsila

11:30 - 11:50

Hybrid machine learning forecasting for grid-connected solar power plant

Ameera Almarzooqi

Ameera Almarzooqi Power Protection Engineer TRANSCO, United Arab Emirates

11:50 - 12:10

Deposits in steam turbines and GT’s compressors – unwanted expensive factor. Full restoration of steam and gas turbines efficiency by removing deposits with deep chemical foam cleaning

Wojciech Majka

Wojciech Majka CEO, President of the Board Ecol Sp. z.o.o., Poland

12:10 - 12:30

Integrating multiple renewable energy sources with machine learning and deep learning for enhanced efficiency and profitability

Kevin Williams

Kevin Williams Co-Founder and CEO K.M. Williams and Associates LLC, India

12:30 - 12:50

Path of construction of light water reactor based nuclear power plant in India – a case study

R S Prasad

R S Prasad General Manager Engineers India LTD, India

12:50 - 13:10

Nuclear power plant lifetime extension: using R&D and digital twin to model reinforced concrete and evaluate mechanical phenomena

Miquel Huguet Aguilera

Miquel Huguet Aguilera Civil Engineering Project Manager Egis, France

11:30 - 13:10 location Capital Suite 9
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Session 4: Advances In Desalination And Water Treatment Strategies

CHAIRS:

Nada Abubakr

Nada Abubakr Middle East Lead – Global Water Practice Ricardo PLC

Dr. Mohamed A. Dawoud

Dr. Mohamed A. Dawoud Senior Water Advisor Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi

11:30 - 11:50

BFP filtration - a replacement for chlorination/dechlorination in RO pre-treatment

Martin Stahl

Martin Stahl Area Manager E+B Umwelttechnik GmbH, United Arab Emirates

11:50 - 12:10

Navigating the technology shift from thermal desalination to reverse osmosis to decarbonise the water sector while ensuring the security of supply in UAE

Asim Khan

Asim Khan Water Production Planning Lead EWEC, United Arab Emirates

12:10 - 12:30

Decoupling of water production and electricity generation from GDP and population in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries

Dr. Shayma AlBannay

Dr. Shayma AlBannay Grid Sustainability Section Manager ADDC, United Arab Emirates

12:30 - 12:50

Alternative sustainable water resources for district cooling plants

Husam Al Smadi

Husam Al Smadi General Manager Cooltech Gulf, Tabreed, United Arab Emirates

14:00 - 15:40 location Capital Suite 8
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Session 5: Building Sustainable Smart Communities And Intelligent Infrastructure

CHAIRS:

Randheer Singh

Randheer Singh Founder & CEO ForeSee Advisors

Ian Rodgers

Ian Rodgers Product Manager Assessment Services - Digital Solutions Xylem Inc

14:00 - 14:20

Transforming industrial cities into smart hubs: a case study of modon's smart industrial cities program

Mohammed Eldaly

Mohammed Eldaly Head of Business Innovation Giza Systems, Saudi Arabia

14:20 - 14:40

Strategic vision for electric vehicle infrastructure in a fast-changing landscape

Maher Aboujaoude

Maher Aboujaoude Tech Lead of Innovative Analytics ENEDIS, France

14:40 - 15:00

The road not taken? the role of behaviour in the energy transition

Dr. Malek Al-Chalabi

Dr. Malek Al-Chalabi Continuing Member University of Oxford, United Kingdom

15:00 - 15:20

Transformative innovations in sanitary waste management: the promise of sanitary waste recycling destruction technology (SWRDT)

Iram Maimuna

Iram Maimuna CEO E Waste Social Pvt Ltd, India

15:20 - 15:40

Evaluating the role of grid interactive buildings for clean energy transition from energy trilemma perspective

Dr. Satish Balantrapu

Dr. Satish Balantrapu Principal Consultant Infosys

14:00 - 15:40 location Capital Suite 9
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Session 6: Hydrogen Production And Infrastructure: From Innovation To Implementation

CHAIRS:

Secil Torun

Secil Torun Vice President - Engineering and Technical Project Management ENGIE

 Khalid Oumejjoud

Khalid Oumejjoud Managing Director PSM Thomassen Gulf LLC

14:00 - 14:20

Assessing the financial viability of green hydrogen projects in the GCC

David Robertson

David Robertson Vice President Solutions EMEA Energy Exemplar, United Arab Emirates

14:20 - 14:40

Ansaldo green tech’s contribution to energy transition: a comprehensive look at AEM electrolyzer technology deployment

Luca Rofi

Luca Rofi Hydrogen Program Manager Ansaldo Green Tech, Italy

14:40 - 15:00

Re-evaluating economics and performance metrics in the context of circular business models and decarbonisation endeavors

Cornelia-Oana Toropoc

Cornelia-Oana Toropoc Senior Advisor Economics MEA OMV, Austria

15:40 - 17:20 location Capital Suite 8
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Session 7: Empowering Utilities Through Ai, Data Analytics, And Emerging Technologies

CHAIRS:

Dr. Yacine Addad

Dr. Yacine Addad Deputy Director, Emirates Nuclear Technology Center, Associate Professor, Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering Khalifa University

 Siddharth Saboo

Siddharth Saboo Head of Energy / O&G (EMEA) Amazon Web Services

15:40 - 16:00

A decade of digital transformation from electro-centric to data-centric distribution company

Pierre Achaichia

Pierre Achaichia Communication Systems and Networks Engineer ENEDIS, France

16:00 - 16:20

Optimising gas storage portfolios via deep reinforcement learning

Alex Gardner

Alex Gardner Senior Risk Quantification Specialist Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC), United Arab Emirates

16:20 - 16:40

Leveraging artificial intelligence for industrial process design optimisation in power generation and green e-fuel synthesis

Islam Haji

Islam Haji Process Digital Control Systems & Commissioning Department Lead Electricité de France (EDF), France

16:40 - 17:00

Tackling OT cyber threats in the era of generative AI

Tahir Saleem

Tahir Saleem Sr. Specialist - OT Security IBM, United Arab Emirates

17:00 - 17:20

Deployment of Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality technologies for engineering use cases within Egis

Wissam Jarmak

Wissam Jarmak Associate Director - Infrastructure Egis, France

15:40 - 17:20 location Capital Suite 9
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Session 8: Enhancing Asset Performance And Management

CHAIRS:

Ian Rodgers

Ian Rodgers Product Manager Assessment Services - Digital Solutions Xylem Inc

Katarina Uherova Hasbani

Katarina Uherova Hasbani Partner and Global Director of Strategy and Advisory AESG

15:40 - 16:00

Determination of asset useful life and efficient maintenance decision making for better asset performance management

Balasubramanian Nainar

Balasubramanian Nainar Specialist / Operation Technology Transco, United Arab Emirates

16:00 - 16:20

A DSO-oriented tool for optimised network planning

Pierre Achaichia

Pierre Achaichia Communication Systems and Networks Engineer ENEDIS, France

16:20 - 16:40

Cable differential protection scheme for 11/22/33kV cable feeders by using one differential relay (instead of 2 relays) with the help of CT merging unit only at the remote

Sajid Ahmed Mohamed Abdul Kader

Sajid Ahmed Mohamed Abdul Kader Senior Studies and Protection Engineer ADDC, United Arab Emirates

16:40 - 17:00

Transformation journey towards operational excellence and enhanced efficiency

Atef Al Braiki

Atef Al Braiki Senior Vice President – Operations and Maintenance Tabreed, United Arab Emirates

10:00 - 11:40 location Capital Suite 8
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Session 9: Unlocking The Potential Of Energy Storage And EMS

CHAIRS:

Giriraj Rathore

Giriraj Rathore General Manager – Europe, Middle East and Asia Wärtsilä Energy

Simon Bartmann

Simon Bartmann Co-CEO Bullfinch Asset AG

10:20 - 10:40

Potential and feasibility of large scale pumped storage in middle east

Thomas Pinchard

Thomas Pinchard Senior Hydropower Specialist EDF, France

10:40 - 11:00

Large scale energy storage using gaseous hydrogen

Wietse ter Veld

Wietse ter Veld Green Hydrogen Subject Matter Expert (ME) AtkinsRéalis

11:00 - 11:20

Economically complying with grid codes for PV plants by enhancing inverter capability

Waqas Hussain

Waqas Hussain Business Development Manager Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen, United Arab Emirates

10:00 - 11:40 location Capital Suite 9
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Session 10: Pathways For Decarbonisation

CHAIRS:

Daxita Rajcoomar,

Daxita Rajcoomar, Chief Sustainability Officer, Asia, Middle East, Africa ENGIE

Antonio Valentin Diaz

Antonio Valentin Diaz Head of Project Delivery – Middle East EDF Renewables Middle East

10:00 - 10:20

An update on the role of gas-turbines in a net-zero energy system

Cristopher Sagar

Cristopher Sagar Chief Engineer AtkinsRéalis, United Arab Emirates

10:20 - 10:40

UAE net-zero pathway

Omar Hatoum

Omar Hatoum Lead Energy Analyst GE Vernova Consulting Services, UAE

10:40 - 11:00

Decarbonising existing gas turbine power generation infrastructure - combustion system retrofits for clean hydrogen utilisation and carbon footprint reduction

 Khalid Oumejjoud

Khalid Oumejjoud Managing Director PSM Thomassen Gulf LLC

11:00 - 11:20

Balancing plants with the power of green engines

Jihad Aoun

Jihad Aoun Regional Sales Manager MAN Energy Solutions Middle East, UAE

11:20 - 11:40

Long-duration energy storage & cloud energy management platform for empowering energy transition and energy cost optimisation

Dr. Satish Balantrapu

Dr. Satish Balantrapu Principal Consultant Infosys

11:40 - 13:10 location Capital Suite 8
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Session 11: Unveiling The Power Of Digital Twins, IOT, And Connected Performance

CHAIRS:

Ian Rodgers

Ian Rodgers Product Manager Assessment Services - Digital Solutions Xylem Inc

Mohamed Sayed Taha

Mohamed Sayed Taha Projects & Technical Consulting Manager Enppi

11:40 - 12:00

Using edge analytics & digital twin to optimise pump system performance & efficiency

Matt Rolls

Matt Rolls Vice President Business Development Specific Energy, United Kingdom

12:00 - 12:20

Digital twin for the water industry: how an interoperable tool landscape paves the way for a sustainable future

Bora Helvaci

Bora Helvaci Water Industry Development Manager Siemens Industrial LLC, United Arab Emirates

12:20 - 12:40

Digital twin & internet of things (IoT) application for connected performance in brownfield EPC projects

Abdus Samad

Abdus Samad Sr. Process Designer NMDC Energy, United Arab Emirates

12:40 - 13:00

A pioneer implementation of industrial internet of things

Abdullah Abaoud

Abdullah Abaoud Digital Transformation Officer Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia

13:00 - 13:10

Automate quality and safety process in Marafiq through vyntelligence digital platform

Majdi Alharbi

Majdi Alharbi Superintendent - Power Operation, Power Generation Marafiq, Saudi Arabia

11:40 - 13:00 location Capital Suite 9
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Session 12: Utilisation Of Hydrogen For Power Gen And Automotive

CHAIRS:

Chris Larsen

Chris Larsen Senior Director - Clean Energy Dynapower

Cristopher Sagar

Cristopher Sagar Chief Engineer Atkins

11:40 - 12:00

Gas pipelines – the pathway to make hydrogen accessible and affordable

Ankur Mullick

Ankur Mullick Business Advisor – MD Office PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED

12:00 - 12:20

100% hydrogen gas turbine full scale validation test outcomes and results

Serena Gabriele

Serena Gabriele Turbomachinery Hydrogen Platform Manager Baker Hughes, Italy

12:20 - 12:40

The path to decarbonisation through re-electrification of green hydrogen: focus on green hydrogen production

Daniel Schwappach

Daniel Schwappach Head of Sustainable Energy Systems, Middle East & Africa Siemens Energy, United Arab Emirates

12:40 - 13:00

PtX products

Grigorios Iatropoulos

Grigorios Iatropoulos Head of Business Development, MEA Region MAN Energy Solutions, Germany

14:00 - 15:40 location Capital Suite 8
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Session 13: Water Treatment And Resource Management

CHAIRS:

Dr. Amber Bullen

Dr. Amber Bullen Technical Director – Wastewater, Engineering Services AtkinsRéalis

Hebah Abbas

Hebah Abbas Chairwoman Kuwait Water Association

14:00 - 14:20

Dynamic criticality assessment method for secure short-term operational plans in water systems

Abdallah Elbashatli

Abdallah Elbashatli Water Operations - Planning Engineer EWEC, United Arab Emirates

14:20 - 14:40

Improving water security – insights from testing Australia's town and city water security framework

Huw Pohlner

Huw Pohlner Associate Director Ricardo, Australia

14:40 - 15:00

Strategic pipeline alliance (SPA)- transmission main - Anglian water UK - deliberately delivering differently

Mark Jones

Mark Jones Chief Engineer, UK AtkinsRéalis

15:00 - 15:20

A strategic water reserve for emergency water supplies in Abu Dhabi

Dr. Mohamed Dawoud

Dr. Mohamed Dawoud Senior Water Advisor Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

14:00 - 15:40 location Capital Suite 9
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Session 14: Modernisation Strategies And Innovations In Power Systems

CHAIRS:

Ian Rodgers

Ian Rodgers Product Manager Assessment Services - Digital Solutions Xylem Inc

Imteyaz Ahmad

Imteyaz Ahmad Managing Director – Power and Water Future Water and Power Consulting (FWPC)

14:00 - 14:20

Design criteria for the conventional power island of small modular reactors

Marco Cioffi

Marco Cioffi Product Manager Ansaldo Energia, Italy

14:20 - 14:40

Research update on engineering and construction innovations

Hasan Charkas

Hasan Charkas Senior Principal Manager (Advanced Reactors Engineering) Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), United States

14:40 - 15:00

Optimal design of hybrid solar power systems: a case study in the chinese industry

Fabian Gross

Fabian Gross R&D Lead sbp sonne

15:00 - 15:20

Development of a cloud-based fleet-wide settlement solution for SEC

Josef Petek

Josef Petek Manager Commercial Operations ENEXSA GmbH, Austria

15:20 - 15:40

Leveraging IoT, AI/ML, and cloud technologies for accelerating global energy transition through virtual power plants and flexibility services platforms

Siddharth Saboo

Siddharth Saboo EMEA Energy Lead AWS

15:40 - 17:00 location Capital Suite 8
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Session 15: Operational Excellence 4.0

CHAIRS:

 Hervé de Trémiolles

Hervé de Trémiolles International Development Manager EDF / CSFN

 Siddharth Saboo

Siddharth Saboo Head of Energy / O&G (EMEA) Amazon Web Services

15:40 - 16:00

AI-driven transformation: shaping the future of operational excellence, workforce management, and cost efficiency

Kevin Williams

Kevin Williams Co-Founder and CEO K.M. Williams and Associates LLC, India

16:00 - 16:20

Operational excellence - a path for sustainable and continuous refinement

Praveen	Ashokan

Praveen Ashokan Manager - Global Fleet Management ENGIE, United Arab Emirates

16:20 - 16:40

Enhancing production facilities productivity through Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) approach

Mohamed Hamdallah

Mohamed Hamdallah Power Generation Manager TAQA Arabia - Power Group, Egypt

15:40 - 17:00 location Capital Suite 9
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Session 16: Integrated Safety Culture

CHAIRS:

Sabooh Asghar

Sabooh Asghar VP-HSEQ Tabreed

Eng. Doreb Ebrahim

Eng. Doreb Ebrahim CEO Enertech Middleast FZ LLC

15:40 - 16:00

Perspectives for senior power & utilities leaders on the imperative to rapidly transform their management of critical operational risks

Mathieu Leduc

Mathieu Leduc Director dss+, United Arab Emirates

16:00 - 16:20

Chemical free & environmentally friendly technique to eliminate the interference of dissolved oil from produced water chemical analysis

Faisal Al Shehri

Faisal Al Shehri Technical Advisor Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia

16:20 - 16:40

Safety by design engineering of transformers with embracing new concepts in utility specifications

Himanshu Shah

Himanshu Shah Application Engineer - Power Transformers & Renewables Hitachi Energy India Ltd, India

16:40 - 17:00

The future of civil defense: embracing AI responders for enhanced emergency management

Khaled Al Atrash

Khaled Al Atrash Technical Operation Expert Civil defence, United Arab Emirates

10:00 - 11:30 location Capital Suite 8
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Session 17: Advancing Transmission And Distribution Networks

CHAIRS:

Dr. Bouhadjar Ahemed Seddik

Dr. Bouhadjar Ahemed Seddik Electrical Engineering Lead Siemens Energy

Imteyaz Ahmad

Imteyaz Ahmad Managing Director – Power and Water Future Water and Power Consulting (FWPC)

10:00 - 10:20

Utilities require a paradigm shift in managing their supply chains for building the electricity grids for the energy transition

Martin Hoegel

Martin Hoegel Partner & Director Boston Consulting Group, United Kingdom

10:20 - 10:40

Statnett's initiative to implement digital substations in the Norwegian power grid

Nargis Hurzuk

Nargis Hurzuk Technology Responsible Substation/ Project Manager- R&D and Innovation STATNETT, Norway

10:40 - 11:00

A proposed framework for lifecycle management of legacy substation protection and control systems: a case study of transmission substations in UAE

Vinay Sardana

Vinay Sardana Senior Power System Engineer TRANSCO, United Arab Emirates

11:00 - 11:20

Technical feasibility and dynamic stability assessment of fully-islanded power networks for large-scale green hydrogen production

Caspar Collins

Caspar Collins Principal Power Systems Engineer Blake Clough Consulting Middle East LLC-FZ

11:20 - 11:40

Automatic FLISR in decentralised ADMS systems

Francisco Arroyo

Francisco Arroyo Smart Grid Manager Minsait

10:00 - 11:30 location Capital Suite 9
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Session 18: Sustainable Solutions For Wastewater Management And Resource Recovery

CHAIRS:

Hebah Abbas

Hebah Abbas Chairwoman Kuwait Water Association

Julio De La Rosa Jurado

Julio De La Rosa Jurado Regional Director Acciona

10:00 - 10:20

Carbon net-zero wastewater treatment

Dr. Amber Bullen

Dr. Amber Bullen Technical Director, UK AtkinsRéalis

10:20 - 10:40

Onunda technology converts bioresources into three valuable products: syngas, phosphorous-rich biochar, and nutrient-rich liquor

Dr. James Meyer

Dr. James Meyer Chief Technology Officer Onunda, United Arab Emirates

10:40 - 11:00

Water demand management based on water consumption data analysis in the emirate of Abu Dhabi

Dr. Shayma AlBannay

Dr. Shayma AlBannay Grid Sustainability Section Manager ADDC, United Arab Emirates

11:00 - 11:20

Knowledge, attitudes, skills, and aspirations of farmers in Abu Dhabi and western Australia on groundwater management: a comparison study

Yusri Alyaarbi

Yusri Alyaarbi Senior Water Sustainability Engineer ADDC, United Arab Emirates

11:20 - 11:40

Waste Management Practices for Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Mohammed AlRayees

Mohammed AlRayees Director Waste Strategy and Projects Dubai Municipality

11:30 - 13:10 location Capital Suite 8
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Session 19: Balancing Compliance, Innovation And Securing Critical Infrastructure

CHAIRS:

Biren Gandhi

Biren Gandhi Global Energy and Utilities Practice Leader IBM Consulting

Khaled Gamal

Khaled Gamal Head of Sales - Digital Grid, MEA Schneider Electric

11:30 - 11:50

Navigating the regulatory landscape: impact of cybersecurity regulations on the utility business

Mohamed Fahmy

Mohamed Fahmy Cyber & Protective Security Section Manager TRANSCO, United Arab Emirates

11:50 - 12:10

Sustainable and smart water and power - reducing waste and CO2 in field maintenance

Mehryar Entezari

Mehryar Entezari Strategic Value Advisor SAP, United Arab Emirates

12:10 - 12:30

New cyber-attack, data security and OT/IT convergence challenges for transmission and distribution system operators (TSOs and DSOs)

Florian Kolb

Florian Kolb CCO & General Manager Energy Intertrust Technologies, United States

12:30 - 12:50

Autonomous flying robots for sewer digitalisation

Fran Espada

Fran Espada CEO Hovering Solutions, Spain

12:50 - 13:10

Powering energy transition: securing OT transformation in power and utilities through cloud enabled edge computing and network modernisation

Deependra Singh Shekhawat

Deependra Singh Shekhawat Energy Industry Specialist Amazon Web Services, Australia

11:30 - 13:10 location Capital Suite 9
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Session 20: Grid Integration And Demand Side Management Strategies

CHAIRS:

Dr. Satish Balantrapu

Dr. Satish Balantrapu Principal Consultant Infosys

Anousha Khan

Anousha Khan Energy Sustainability Consultant Insight Plum

11:30 - 11:50

Towards carbon-neutral cities: a framework for integrating building retrofitting, microclimate design, and progressive urban energy policies

Hamsah Khalil

Hamsah Khalil Climate Change and Sustainability Senior Manager ESAC Group, United Arab Emirates

11:50 - 12:10

Driving energy efficiency in Abu Dhabi's Industrial Sector: a journey towards decarbonisation through collaborative energy management

Jonathan Churchman

Jonathan Churchman Industrial energy and water efficiency lead ADDC, United Arab Emirates

12:10 - 12:30

Identification of major power interconnections to valorise untapped RES potential around Middle-East

Nicolas Chamollet

Nicolas Chamollet Power System and Energy Markets Expert Electricité de France (EDF), France

12:30 - 12:50

Empowering rural Kenya? navigating the future of PAYGo solar systems and IoT integration for sustainable development

Laura Hellqvist

Laura Hellqvist Doctoral Student SOAS University of London, United Arab Emirates

14:00 - 15:40 location Capital Suite 8
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Session 21: Maximising Energy Efficiency And Innovations In Cooling Systems

CHAIRS:

Antonio Di Cecca

Antonio Di Cecca Chief Operating Officer Tabreed

Cedric Carretero

Cedric Carretero Technical Director Dalkia

14:00 - 14:20

Smarter pricing unlocks customer & system benefits

Jodi Amy

Jodi Amy Director - Energy, Sustainability & Infrastructure Guidehouse, United Arab Emirates

14:20 - 14:40

Enhancing efficiency and operational excellence in district cooling systems: performance measurement and optimisation strategies

Marc Hager

Marc Hager CTO Naotilus GmbH, Germany

14:40 - 15:00

Phase changing material (PCM) application in cooling related energy saving & energy efficiency

Balazs Kovacs

Balazs Kovacs International Sales Heatventors, Hungary

15:00 - 15:20

District cooling: the optimal solution for the progress of sustainable communities

Fatima Almarzooqi

Fatima Almarzooqi Senior Scheduling Engineer - Operations & Maintenance Tabreed

14:00 - 15:40 location Capital Suite 9
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Session 22: Workforce Of The Future

CHAIRS:

Atef Al Braiki

Atef Al Braiki Senior Vice President – Operations and Maintenance Tabreed, United Arab Emirates

Rui De Sousa

Rui De Sousa Principal, Industry & Value Advisor, Middle East & Africa South SAP

14:00 - 14:20

Digital asset management - cultural shift required to maximise impact

Ramez Haddadin

Ramez Haddadin Principal – Operational Excellence Leader dss+, United Arab Emirates

14:20 - 14:40

Empowering workforce for operational excellence: cultivating communication, engagement, and growth for streamlined success in business expansion

Rubab Irshad

Rubab Irshad Operations Engineer Engro Powergen Qadirpur Ltd, Pakistan

14:40 - 15:00

The tailor-made transition and handover process: enhancing organisational agility

Ankit Bisht

Ankit Bisht Engineer Emaar, United Arab Emirates

15:00 - 15:20

Assessment of the African network of centers of excellence in electricity

Alexis Rechain

Alexis Rechain Managing Director Str@tec-arc, Cote d'lvoire

15:20 - 15:40

Enhancing Operational Excellence and Workforce Management through AI-Driven Labor Management

Kevin Williams

Kevin Williams Co-Founder and CEO K.M. Williams and Associates LLC, India

15:40 - 17:20 location Capital Suite 8
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Session 23: Innovations Powering The Energy Sector

CHAIRS:

Peter Ondko

Peter Ondko Associate Director Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Buket Guner

Buket Guner Investment Manager EDF, UAE

15:40 - 16:00

Revolutionising power generation: harnessing the winds of change with innovative turbine technology

Aafaque Bhatti

Aafaque Bhatti AM Operations Engro Powergen Qadirpur Ltd, Pakistan

16:00 - 16:20

Bespoke Solution For Treatment, Conditioning And Handling Of Radioactive Wast

Francesca Maggini

Francesca Maggini Technical Sales Manager, Business Development & Sales Ansaldo Nucleare, Italy

16:20 - 16:40

Energy storage valuation framework: to be utilised before adoption of storage for grid

Avanthika Satheesh

Avanthika Satheesh Director - Emerging Tech MENA Customized Energy Solution, United Arab Emirates

16:40 - 17:00

A novel prototype of water lifting pump to save energy and improve efficiency of power utilisation

Mohammed Abdelhafez

Mohammed Abdelhafez Engineer Atlas, Egypt

17:00 - 17:20

Power plant intelligent controller (PIC)

Rudy Skaff

Rudy Skaff Performance Optimisation Manager Siemens Energy, United Arab Emirates

15:40 - 17:20 location Capital Suite 9
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Session 24: Enabling A Sustainable Energy Transition

CHAIRS:

Mohamed Sayed Taha

Mohamed Sayed Taha Projects & Technical Consulting Manager Enppi

Atef Al Braiki

Atef Al Braiki Senior Vice President – Operations and Maintenance Tabreed, United Arab Emirates

15:40 - 16:00

Carbon credit trading scheme and its applicability in energy intensive industries

Geetali Kalita

Geetali Kalita Head-ESG Numaligarh Refinery, India

16:00 - 16:20

Exploring the role of transformers in the circular economy

Mohamed Elfayoumy

Mohamed Elfayoumy Application Engineer Hitachi Energy LLC, United Arab Emirates

16:20 - 16:40

Regulatory challenges, strategies and measures support implementation of utilities net zero ambitions

Alex Oeser

Alex Oeser Vice President TAQA, United Arab Emirates

16:40 - 17:00

A comprehensive analysis of global energy transformation and its utility industry implications

Manas Joshi

Manas Joshi Manager TATA Power-DDL, India

Monday 16 September 2024

Tuesday 17 September 2024

Wednesday 18 September 2024

Herve De Tremiolles 375X375

I was honoured to be part of the technical committee of the World Utilities Congress in Abu Dhabi and to co-chair the Technical Conference. This event was also a fantastic opportunity to hear from government ministers, policymakers, and industry leaders on energy strategies.

Hervé de Trémiolles

International Development Manager
EDF / CSFN
Antonio Di Cecca Pic

I had the opportunity to speak at the Technical Conference about district cooling and it was a truly enriching experience. The event brought together leading experts and professionals from the utilities sector in UAE and worldwide.

Antonio Di Cecca

Chief Operating Officer
tabreed
Nathan Paterson

The World Utilities Congress brought together many of the important players in the energy sector at a time of great importance leading up to COP28 in UAE. The Technical Conference enabled the cross-pollination of ideas and opportunities to collaborate on the pressing industry challenges.

Nathan Paterson

Senior Programme Lead – Supply Chain
World Nuclear Association