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H.E. Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Minister of Finance, Minister in Charge of Oil and Gas Affairs opened the Middle East Ethylene Conference, Monday, October 20, 2014, at the Gulf International Convention Centre in Gulf Hotel. The conference is being held under the slogan ‘Meeting Technical Challenges in the Ethylene Industry through Efficient & Sustainable Technology’. It is being organized by Middle East Energy Events with the support of the Saudi branch of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and in coordination with the National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) and a number of international and Gulf based oil companies. A large number of experts, engineers and petroleum industry delegates participated.

The Minister, in his opening address, congratulated the organizers for choosing the kingdom of Bahrain to host the event in the Middle East. He pointed out the outstanding contribution of the region in the world petrochemical industry as the main global supplier of polyethylene. He said the production of petrochemicals in the GCC had reached one hundred billion US dollars in the past year, while the GCC countries had also witnessed an exponential growth during the past five years.

The Minister said the global ethylene market would grow between 2013 and 2018 with high GCC exports in this important sector. He pointed out that the Middle East will witness rapid global growth to be a vital hub in the ethylene industry due to its ability to provide raw materials and global competition by 2020. He added that the petrochemical industry was witnessing a remarkable rise in investment opportunities in emerging projects and major petrochemical markets.

He also pointed out that the conference was a good opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience related to this vital sector between experts at the local, regional and international level and among all participants of professionals and providers of technical and productivity information and updates on the latest developments and challenges faced by the ethylene industry.

The Minister concluded his speech by stressing the NOGA goal to attract conferences and exhibitions of international oil events to Bahrain and make the Kingdom a global hub in this area. He expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the event organizers and the Conference Chairman, Dr. Halim Hamid Redhwi and those supporting companies exhibiting at noting a concerted effort to take out the conference in a professional manner high efforts.

Mr. Ziad Al-Labban, Chief Executive Officer of Sadara Chemical Company and Chairman of the Advisory Committee highlighted the importance of the conference theme for the GCC countries in particular and the Middle East in general. Others who spoke at the opening included Dr. Halem Haamed who expressed his gratitude and appreciation to H.E. Sheikh Ahmed for his support and to the conference which was being held in Bahrain for the first time.

H.E. Shaikh Ahmed inaugurated the exhibition and met with representatives of a number of international and Gulf companies which participated, including the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO), Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC), Bahrain National Gas (BANAGAS), and Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) Sadara Company, GE, Aspen Tech, Technip. Schneider Electric, and Qatar Petrochemical Company, which, showcased some of the best practices in the ethylene industry and the latest innovations in advanced engineering, process control systems, industrial implementation and supply chains in the oil and gas industry.

The event included several workshops, scientific lectures and plenary sessions, which began on Sunday morning, October 19, and will continue until Tuesday, October 21, with the participation of specialist speakers from a number of distinguished international ethylene companies, including Mr. Salem Al Subayee, Division Head, Saudi Aramco Chemicals, and Mr. Abdullah Al-Suwailem, CEO, Petro Rabigh, Mr. Dandashly, CEO, Downstream Technology Solutions, GE Oil & Gas, Mr. John Derbyshire, President, KBR Technology, and Mr. Sanjay Sharma, Managing Director - MDE and India IHS Chemical Consulting, Mr. David Bronicoasks of Chemicals Sadara Company, Mr. Ahmed Al Zenede of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), and Mr. Asaad Ahmad Al-Saad, CEO, PIC Company, and other specialist speakers.