New power, water, and energy projects valued at $180 billion are underway or at the planning stages in the Middle East, as Saudi Arabia forges ahead with projects worth $108.9 billion. Taking the lion's share of investment value in the region, due to the $100 billion King Abdullah City of Atomic and Renewable Energy, which begins construction in 2013, the Kingdom has a further 15 projects worth nearly $9 billion currently underway, or due to begin in 2012. The UAE will be one of the most active markets in the power, water and energy sectors over the next two years, with 20 new projects worth $34.2 billion in the pipeline, led by the $20 billion nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi, which began construction late in 2011. Against this backdrop, Middle East Electricity Expo kicked off today (Feb. 7) at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre. Featuring more than 1,000 exhibitors, the three-day exhibition is the world's leading energy event that focuses on power, lighting, renewable, nuclear and water sectors. Spearheaded by the Qatar Facility D power project worth $3 billion, with construction slated to start in 2012, Qatar plans to build at least nine projects in the next three years, at a time when power demand across all GCC countries is expected to grow 8 to10 percent annually. Bahrain has four projects currently ongoing worth $4.2 billion; Kuwait has 17 projects valued at $4 billion, while Oman has put aside $2.9 billion for 13 new power, water and energy projects which will begin to be constructed in 2012. Anita Mathews, Middle East Electricity Exhibition Director, said "according to the World Energy Council, the GCC will require 100 GW of additional power over the next 10 years to meet growing demand. The power sector will require $50 billion worth of investments in new power generating capacity and $20 billion in desalination. "In response, new contractor awards in the power, water and renewable energy sectors are being announced every month in the Middle East, as seen in December last year, when six new contractor awards were announced in Kuwait, Qatar and Iraq, valued at $1.5 billion, while in January this year, five new contractor awards worth $130 million were announced in UAE, Kuwait, and Oman. "This too is reflected in exhibitor space occupied at Middle East Electricity 2012, which has exceeded last year's occupied space by 15 percent. We have also seen growth in exhibitor numbers and expect more than 15,000 unique visitors to attend the three
