DOHA, 22 March 2006 — The Middle East’s first energy business center, the $2.6 billion Energy City Qatar, was officially launched yesterday under the patronage of the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad ibn Khalifa Al-Thani. Sheikh Abdullah ibn Khalifa Al-Thani, the prime minister of Qatar, presided over the function, hosted by Sir David Frost and attended by Sheikh Hamad ibn Jassim ibn Jabr Al-Thani, the first deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs and chairman of Qatari Diar Real Estate and Investment Company, a host of key government officials and business and energy leaders from across the world.
The gathering was addressed by Abdullah ibn Hamad Al-Attiyah, the second deputy prime minister and minister of energy and industry and chairman and managing director of Qatar Petroleum, Sheikh Mohamed ibn Ahmed Al-Thani, the minister of economy and commerce and chairman of the Qatar Financial Center Authority, and Esam Janahi, the chairman of Gulf Energy.
Special pre-recorded video messages from Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect of Microsoft Corporation, David O’Reilly, chairman and chief executive officer of Chevron Corp., Andrew Gould, the chairman and chief executive officer of Schlumberger and Helge Lund, the president and chief executive officer of Statoil, were relayed at the event.
Janahi said: “The Middle East accounts for over 60 percent of the world’s proven oil reserves and over 40 percent of the world’s natural gas reserves. But, the region doesn’t have a dedicated energy business center. Energy City Qatar was conceived with the central aim of filling this void and positively contributing to the economic development of Qatar and the region.”
Energy City Qatar will be the Middle East’s first full-service energy business center catering to the commercial, technical and human resource needs of the oil and gas industry operating in the region, with cutting-edge facilities and services. It will also be home to a dedicated energy trading platform, the International Mercantile Exchange (IMEX), which will be regulated by the Qatar Financial Center Regulatory Authority.
Gates said in his recorded message, “It’s my pleasure to extend my congratulations on the launch of Energy City Qatar. Microsoft has had a presence in Qatar for several years and we are committed to investing in the country, its people and its businesses. We fully support your efforts to establish Qatar as a world leader in the global energy industry and Microsoft will strive to be at the forefront of the development of software solutions of the oil and gas industry.
“We’ve helped make significant advances that are enabling energy companies to create the strong infrastructure needed to streamline operations and respond quickly to customer needs. Software plays a central role in the energy industry. With the launch of Energy City Qatar, we have the opportunity to work together to create new tools and solutions that will enable oil and gas companies to achieve new levels of performance in every phase of their business.
“As the world’s first integrated energy business center, Energy City Qatar will be an international showcase for the next generation of technology innovations and promises to play a major role in the economic and social development of this vitally important region of the world. We look forward to contributing in the success of Energy City Qatar and to continuing to deliver technology that can help the global energy industry achieve peak performance.”
O’Reilly said in his message, “As one of the world’s leading energy companies, we’ve been active in the Gulf region for more than 75 years. We believe Energy City Qatar is an example of Qatar’s strong leadership to create a more secure energy future. Against a backdrop of surging demand for both natural gas and diesel fuel, Chevron is advancing major projects to produce LNG and GTL synthetic fuels — and Qatar is central to our efforts. There is no doubt that consistent deliveries of large-scale and innovative projects make Qatar a clear partner of choice for gas developments.”
Vahan Zanoyan, president and CEO of PFC Energy and Board Member of Gulf Energy said, “Qatar is the ideal location for the Middle East’s energy business center. Participants in Energy City Qatar will be able to gain significant efficiencies due to the benefits of clustering; ease of interaction and communication, economies of scale and easier access to opportunities and decision-makers at all levels.”
Gulf Energy, the consortium of international energy experts behind Energy City Qatar, recently signed a MoU with Microsoft providing for the development and implementation of the next generation of advanced enterprise-level solutions to form the necessary technology infrastructure for Energy City Qatar.
Energy City Qatar will be an innovative, intelligent, vibrant energy centre filled with customers, suppliers and related service providers freely interacting, cooperating and competing for the advancement of the energy sector. It recently announced the appointment of its International Advisory Body, comprising eminent experts from the business world, particularly from the energy and energy-related sectors. The board includes Henri Philippe Reichstul from Brazil, Simon Tay from Singapore, Bernard de Combret from France, Harald Norvik from Norway and Richard H. Matzke from the United States.