Initial indications suggest that visitor numbers were already showing a marked year on year increase during the first half of the day. The event, which runs through to Wednesday 8th February, covers over 25,000 square metres features over 800 exhibitors from 51 countries and 18 country pavilions, including the world leaders in electricity, power generation, lighting, new and renewable energy and gas - each of which has a dedicated focus area within the exhibition. 'The scope and variety of the innovation on show this year is truly exceptional,' said Sarah Woodbridge, Exhibition Director, Middle East Electricity. 'As the energy demands of the countries throughout the region continue to pose ever more sophisticated challenges to the global energy industry, the creative solutions being developed to meet them are highly impressive.' The new and renewable sector has a strong presence at the exhibition this year - solar and wind power have massive potential for the region - the latest forecasts suggest that up to half of the UAE's required energy will come from renewable sources by 2050, with solar energy, the cleanest source in pure environmental terms, likely to form a large percentage. Syria, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran, Bahrain and Lebanon are among the Middle East countries to have already implemented, or be seriously planning to implement new and renewable energy programmes. The newly introduced gas-dedicated area of the show focuses on another of the highly active areas of growth in the regional energy industry. The latest estimates indicate that gas consumption in the Arab world has virtually overtaken oil demand in - in the medium term, it is anticipated that the share of gas in the Arab energy market will rise from 48.9% (2005) to 53.3% by 2015. In parallel with this expansion, Arab oil producers are set to invest upwards of $84 billion into natural gas over the next five years, with around $532 billion earmarked over the next three decades. Recently announcing the construction of a Dhs. 3.42 billion power generation and desalination project as part of a four-year Dhs. 10 billion capacity expansion programme in Dubai, Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of DEWA (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority), said that "The station will be equipped with the most advanced control and monitoring units and technologies for gas and thermal emission reduction to protect the environment - natural gas will be the principal fuel in operating the station, as gas is considered to be one of the cleanest fuels environmentally. This project will be a model for the new generation of power and desalination stations.'? Now firmly established as the region's premier lighting event, Lighting Middle East, another of the focus areas within the exhibition, continues to grow in strategic importance, offering the very latest technological advances from global lighting leaders including Osram, who, with Eaton Electrical, are one of the event's main sponsors. With the current value of projects underway in the GCC, Iran and Iraq totaling in excess of an estimated US$700 billion, and the real estate sector continuing to show sustained upward growth, there are exciting development opportunities throughout the Middle East. The United Arab Emirates is leading the Middle East in terms of expansion and development projects, but many exciting development opportunities are also arising in other countries including Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan and Egypt. 'With significant financial investment being ploughed into developing tourism, commerce and government infrastructure, the long term prospects are highly encouraging,' added Woodbridge. The power generation sector also continues to attract staggering levels of investment. Recent estimates indicate that US$57 billion will be spent over the next six years in the MENA region on the installation of new capacity alone - US$25 billion of this will be spent purely in the GCC, with the majority provided by the private sector. 'With the different sectors within the Middle East energy industry requiring investment in excess of US$1 trillion over the next 20 years, and new sectors, such as water and desalination, which will be a new area of focus at next year's event, emerging, the long term business prospects are exceptional,' concluded Woodbridge. 'Our objective and commitment has always been to deliver an event that makes a significant contribution to the objectives of the regional energy industry - we have set a benchmark for quality, and this has proven to be a central factor in the continued success and effectiveness of the event, particularly given the fact that our visitor audience comprises the key decision makers from around the region.' PIN/AME INFO